Chasing Rainbows
by JayFay2911
Summary: Years ago, she backed out of helping Harvey and Jessica push Hardman out of an active role in the firm. Now, Daniel Hardman is back and so is she. The question is: whose side is she on now?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This is my very first story so I'm a little nervous to post it. I will be doing a lot of research to try and get all of the law stuff right, but please remember that I'm not actually a lawyer and allow yourself to suspend your disbelief when reading because I am bound to get something wrong. Haha. **

**Disclaimer: I only own Alannah. **

* * *

As she listened to Daniel Hardman make his argument to the other partners about hiring an associate he had yet to provide a name for as a junior partner, a small part of Jessica Pearson was impressed at his gall to try and bring in a new junior partner only two weeks after officially reclaiming an active role in the firm. However, the larger part of her would be damned if he was going to start recruiting soldiers for their impending war and she interjected, "I firmly believe that if we're going to bring in another junior partner, we should promote one of our own. It should be someone who has put in the time and effort to be a real asset to the company and who understands this firm and how we operate."

"How loyal of you, Jessica. I see you haven't changed at all in that regard." A voice spoke from the doorway of the boardroom. All eyes turned to take in the pristinely dressed African American woman who had managed to open the door without calling attention to herself. She walked towards the empty seat that resided beside Daniel and slid into it with a confidence that Harvey Specter felt that she, of all people, had no right to feel, "Sorry, I'm late, Daniel. New York traffic, you know."

Before Hardman could answer, Jessica interrupted, "What exactly is she doing here?"

Hardman cleared his throat before answering, "I asked her here to plead her case so that everyone here could make an informed decision on whether or not to bring her over from Wellington Lockley. "

Alannah Cavanaugh leaned onto the table that sat in front of them, "And plead my case, I will. Answer me this: Will any of your current associates automatically come with five clients that will exponentially increase your bottom line?" She allowed her eyes to meet the gaze of every single partner for a brief moment before settling on Jessica, "I didn't think so."

At this Harvey spoke up, "Who's to say you will?"

Alannah swung her gaze to meet his before giving a small laugh, "Ah, Harvey, I'd forgotten how much of a doubting Thomas you can be."

"With good reason," he answered, not missing a beat. "I'm sure you haven't forgotten about that."

The tan skinned woman decided not to address his jab at her past with Pearson Hardman. She figured to do so would hurt her chances of being rehired to the firm. Once she had her foot in the door, there would be plenty of time for verbal sparring with him.

"All five of these clients have stipulated in their contracts with Wellington Lockley that I am the only person they want representing them and, on the off chance that I leave, they can break their contracts so that they can be free to follow me." She answered before leaning back in her seat, matching Harvey's posture.

Jessica asked, her voice dripping with suspicion, "Why would your firm ever agree to that stipulation?"

"Because it's the only way the clients would sign the contracts and they felt they had nothing to lose," the woman in question answered confidently, "When I left here, this firm made sure that it was damn near impossible for me to find a job. They were the only firm willing to take me on and as my reputation and worth grew, Wellington Lockley has paid me quite handsomely to make sure I never thought about straying."

"So why leave now?" Jessica inquired.

She ran a hand through her hair, "Because Pearson Hardman gave me my start and, while you may find this hard to believe, that means something to me. This firm put me through law school and I am forever grateful for that." Her plan had been to stay away from mentioning her past with the firm, but she could tell from the mood in the room that every partner was wondering exactly what Jessica was. The older woman, however, was the only one deciding to voice these questions. She took a deep breath, "Everyone here knows I didn't leave on good terms and neither did Daniel. He's come home and is ready to redeem himself. He's convinced me to do the same. It's been a long time, Jessica. If Mrs. Hardman's battle with breast cancer and death taught us anything, it should be that life is too short. It's time for forgiveness and to move forward. I can help make this firm more successful in this difficult economy. Furthermore, I owe it to the firm after you made it possible for me to attend law school. Thus far, Wellington Lockley has reaped all the benefits of your investment. It's time to fix that. To deny my employment here would be foolish and I happen to know that none of you sitting in this room fall under that category. Not even you, Harvey."

The partners sat in silence for a moment, taking in everything she had said before Daniel cleared his throat, "I think Alannah has clearly stated her case and it should be time for us to vote."

Before he could officially call for a vote, Harvey interrupted, "Only senior partners are allowed to be present for votes." He met Alannah's gaze head-on, "I'm sure you understand."

Alannah stood as she said, "Of course, I do." She walked to the door, but stopped when she reached the doorway. She turned and fixed her eyes on Harvey as a small smile found its way to her face, "Besides, it's not like it's the first time you've kicked me out of a room."

With that, she gently closed the door behind her and made her way to the waiting area to await her fate. After what seemed like hours, but was really only a few minutes, Daniel walked around the corner.

She stood and asked, "Well?"

Hardman motioned toward the elevators and waited until it had arrived. Once they stepped on it, he finally answered, "You're in."

"Was there ever any doubt?" Alannah responded before laughing, "How livid were Jessica and Harvey?"

"Interestingly enough, Jessica was the only one who voted against you." Daniel informed her.

The young woman shook her head, "Seriously? Trouble in paradise with the golden couple, Danny?"

"Maybe."

"Good. It's easier to break what's already fractured," she retorted while flipping her hair over her shoulder, "I'll head over to Wellington Lockley and start cleaning out my desk. I'll see you on Monday."

As the doors opened up, the pair walked out and went their separate ways.

* * *

"Have you lost your mind?" Jessica seethed as she followed Harvey into his office.

"Relax, Jessica." Harvey replied calmly as he sat down at his chair behind his desk.

"Relax? Relax?" Jessica mimicked as she paced around his office, "Need I remind you, Harvey, that that woman almost derailed our plans to force Daniel out in the first place?"

The lawyer leaned back in his chair, "No, Jessica, you don't. I was there for every single bit of it."

"Then why would you ever vote her into this firm?" she questioned.

"Because, if you wouldn't have let your feelings get the best of you, you would have been able to tell that the rest of the partners were swayed by her oh-so-heartfelt speech that I'm sure she and Hardman manufactured to pull at their heartstrings with reminding them just how much this firm spent to upgrade her from a secretary to a lawyer. Money that this firm never got to recoup because we booted her out before she started earning such huge billables." Harvey got up and rounded his desk. He waited until he was standing in front of her before continuing, "She was getting voted in no matter what we voted. But now they've got to be wondering if you and I are as united as they previously thought."

"And we can work that to our advantage," she concluded while nodding her head, "I knew there was a reason I kept you around."

"And here I thought it was because of my charm and stunning good looks."

Jessica shook her head as she started to exit his office. She stopped short at the door and turned to face Harvey who had sat back down behind his desk. Her expression was somber as she spoke, "Harvey, I'm trusting you to help me keep my firm. You betrayed my trust and let me down by lying about Mike's credentials." Harvey began to speak but she held up her hand and silenced him, "I told you he could stay and I would keep his secret for now and I will, but don't let me down again, Harvey."

Very rarely did Harvey Specter feel the urge to break off eye contact, but a part of him felt slightly guilty at the hurt reflected in her eyes. He tamped down the urge and assured her, "I won't. I promise you that when the dust settles, you'll be the last one standing. We got rid of Hardman once and we'll do it again."

She nodded in acknowledgement and continued her exit from his office.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Thanks so much to everyone who added this story to their alerts. I hope you guys continue to enjoy this story.**

**Disclaimer: I still only own Alannah.**

* * *

Alannah laughed as Daniel showed her to her office, which happened to be right beside Harvey Specter's, "You have quite the sense of humor, Danny."

"Would you believe me if I told you that I had absolutely nothing to do with it?" he asked with a smirk.

The black haired woman shook her head, "Not for one moment."

He patted her on the back, "I didn't think you would. Look at it this way. You and Harvey were close once. Maybe you can be that way again and swing him to our side."

"I doubt that."

He laughed again, "I've never known you to be afraid of a challenge."

"And I'm not about to start now," she said as she opened the door to her office, "If you'll excuse me, I have several clients coming to visit today about switching their business over to the firm. I need to prepare."

"Of course," Daniel nodded before leaning over to whisper in her ear, "I, myself, plan on making rounds through the offices. It'll pay to have as many people on our side as possible."

"Good plan," she agreed before he walked off. When he was out of sight, she exited her office and marched the few feet that separated her yet to be hired assistant's desk from Harvey. Before she got anywhere near Harvey's door, a voice stopped her.

"Where do you think you're going?" Donna questioned.

"I need to talk to Harvey, Donna."

"He's busy with his associate," the red head informed her before returning her attention to her computer.

Alannah gave a sigh of frustration at Donna's dismissal, "They're staring out his window, Donna."

"They're busy," she reiterated, "and he has instructed me not to let anyone into his office until he says otherwise."

The lawyer resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she folded her arms, "Anyone or just me and Daniel?" The other woman ignored her question and continued to pretend she wasn't there, "Nice to see you're ever still the loyal guard dog."

"Can I take a message?" the redhead asked without looking up from the screen.

"Would he get it?" Alannah questioned.

At this, Donna looked up, "I'm insulted that _you_ feel the right to question my integrity and loyalty to Harvey."

The other woman uncrossed her arms and ran a hand through her hair, "I'm choosing to ignore that jab."

"I'm almost certain I don't know what you're talking about."

Another sigh escaped her lips, "Can you just tell him that I need to speak with him before the day is over?"

"I will."

* * *

"So, she isn't going to fire me?" Mike asked.

"Not as long as Hardman and Alannah are here. Right now, we need every person possible working to get them out of here." Harvey answered.

Mike felt the knot in his stomach that had been present ever since he found out Jessica Pearson knew he didn't have a law degree began to loosen. He turned slightly towards his mentor, "What exactly makes them so important that Jessica is choosing to overlook the fact that we lied to her?"

Harvey stuck his hands in his pockets and waited a few moments before answering, "Alannah used to be Hardman's secretary when the firm first started. She showed an interest in becoming a lawyer and Hardman decided to put her through law school. After she became an associate, they began having an affair while he was still playing the role of perfect husband. When it came out he was embezzling from the firm, Jessica and I went to her and showed her the proof. She agreed to help us blackmail him into stepping down by threatening to tell his wife about the affair. When the time came to confront him, she backed out and stood beside him."

"But you two managed to blackmail him anyway." Mike asked, "Was there another woman waiting to come forward?"

"No. Jessica didn't think Alannah would actually turn on Hardman and had a private investigator follow her around prior to our confronting him about his crimes. We had pictures of them together so we didn't actually need her." Harvey walked away from the window and sat down at his desk, "Hardman stepped down and Jessica terminated Alannah because she viewed her as a liability since she'd already shown that her loyalty lied with Hardman and not the firm."

"So until those two are dealt with, I'm safe." Mike observed as he sat in a chair opposite Harvey.

"Yes," Harvey agreed, "and since it's going to take a while to outmaneuver those two, we've got time to show her how valuable you can be to this company even without the degree. Just don't screw this up."

"I won't." Mike assured him.

"You better not," the older man warned him, "With those two around, nobody is safe."

* * *

Alannah took off her suit jacket and stretched. She'd had a long day renegotiating contracts with the five clients that she knew were going to follow her to Pearson Hardman as well as the two other client's she hadn't expected to end their relationships with Wellington Lockley. Harvey had walked past her office five times and hadn't stopped once. She had no doubt that Donna had delivered her message. The woman might not like her—and Alannah certainly understood why —but she knew the woman was good at her job. No, she knew that Harvey Specter had simply chosen to ignore her request.

She stood and grabbed her jacket as she decided she'd try speaking with him tomorrow. She exited her office and from the hall she could see Jessica Pearson and Harvey talking in his office. The young woman grinned as she realized that Donna must have went home for the day and absolutely nothing stood between her and both of the people she desperately needed to talk to. arH

As she opened the door, Jessica stopped midsentence. Alannah closed the door behind her before saying, "Don't stop on my account. I'm sure I'm probably the topic of conversation."

Harvey spoke before Jessica could respond, "Is there a reason you felt the need to barge into my office and interrupt my meeting?"

"I told Donna that I needed to see you before the day was over." Alannah answered.

"And she told me," he retorted, "I'm a busy man. I didn't have time. Maybe tomorrow."

"Why don't I just join you two? I have to talk to both of you about the exact same thing so why not kill two birds with one stone?" she asked as she sat in the chair next to Jessica.

"You have a lot of nerve t-" Jessica began.

"Yes, I do." Alannah interrupted, "And that nerve is what's going to allow me to help you two get Daniel Hardman out of this firm once and for all."

The older woman laughed, "I'm not saying that we're trying to get rid of Daniel, but if we were, you can guarantee that you are the last person we would go to for help."

Alannah squared her shoulders and prepared for the impending argument, "You need me, Jessica. You have no idea what he's been able to dream up during the five years he had to stew, but I have. I've been there for every plot and every revenge fantasy. You two know he wants you out, but you have no clue what lengths he's prepared to go to."

The other woman was livid, "I need you? Like I needed you five years ago? I needed you then and you backed out after everything I did for you. Putting you through college and then through law school. I deserved your loyalty and you stabbed me in the back for a criminal."

This argument had been brewing for five years and, while Alannah knew she deserved this woman's mistrust and anger, she couldn't help arguing that point, "Let's not rewrite history, Jessica. It's incredibly beneath you. My law career was Hardman's pet project just like Harvey's was yours. You were never invested in me and, let's be honest, the only reason you cared about my law school endeavors is because Pearson Hardman was footing the bill. Nevertheless, I was loyal and grateful to you both, but when I had to choose between you two, I chose the one who had always had my back. The one who had always been my cheerleader. He also happened to be the one I was in love with. I was young and naïve and I'm not that same woman anymore."

"Really?" Harvey asked and when she nodded, he spoke again, "Alright, I'll play along with this little charade. What exactly caused you to change after all these years?"

Even though Harvey was the one who had asked the question, she continued to look at Jessica, "After I started at Wellington Lockley, Daniel and I continued our affair. He had me convinced that he couldn't leave his wife because there wasn't a prenup and that she would keep Sarah from him if they divorced." The young woman took a deep breath, "Then Alicia got sick three years ago. As you two know, my mother died of breast cancer while I was young. He asked me to spend time with Sarah to help her cope."

"You didn't." Jessica questioned in disbelief.

Alannah nodded, "I did. Young and naive, remember? Spending time with Sarah meant spending time with Alicia and I learned that she wasn't anything like Daniel had led me to believe. Daniel knows I'm no longer in love with him but believes there is still friendly affection and that I am his confidant. The truth is, what he did to her makes my skin crawl and when I think of my role in that, it makes me sick to my stomach. I haven't had a good night's sleep in three years because of the guilt." She finally turned her attention towards the man seated across from her, "I need to make this right. Sarah and Alicia deserved a better man than that and a better friend than me. I can't fix the former, but I can do something about the latter. He needs to pay and I have sins to atone for. Let me help you."

Harvey leaned back in his chair, "Let me get this straight. You want us to trust you after you not only backed out of helping us force him out five years ago after we gave you solid proof that he had been embezzling from several clients? You, the mistress, who got close to the man's dying wife and grieving daughter, while you were probably still warming his bed.

"I deserve that," Alannah acquiesced, "but I ended the affair shortly after Alicia got sick. I was young and foolish, but I never intentionally set out to hurt anyone."

"And that makes everything you did okay?" Jessica asked.

"No, it doesn't," the younger woman replied, "I meant what I said in that board meeting before I was voted in. I want to fix what I broke and move forward. I'm not asking you to blindly trust me to help you oust Daniel, but I am asking you to give me an opportunity to prove to you that I'm being sincere. All I want is a chance."

Jessica shook her head, "I'm still not convinced."

"And I don't blame you. We're lawyers. We deal in facts, not emotions. Fortunately, I can give you both." Alannah took a deep breath, "You two were probably talking strategy. Harvey probably wants to wait for him to make his first move. After all, he does some of his best work when his back is against the wall. You, however, aren't totally convinced that's the best plan because, no matter how much you want to, you can't fully detach your emotions from this whole thing. Harvey, as brilliant as he may be, is wrong. You need to take a more aggressive approach. Hardman's first plan is to try to swing everyone to his side and then call for a vote. That way, when you two get kicked out, he can say that everything was taken through the proper channels. He's already making his way through the lower offices and I'm pretty sure he's going to have me start interacting with the other departments as well. "

Jessica took a moment to consider everything the woman before her had just said before she spoke, "I'm not saying I fully trust you, but I'm willing to give you the opportunity to earn my trust."

"You can't be serious." Harvey interjected.

"Oh, but I am." Jessica replied in a tone of voice that let him know she wanted no argument from him, "Let's be reasonable, Harvey. We need all the help we can get and I'm willing to give her a try," she explained before turning her attention back to Alannah, "but know this, Alannah Cavanaugh, I allowed you to make a fool out of me once and escape relatively unscathed. Don't think it'll happen again. You are on an exceptionally short leash and if I begin to suspect, even a little bit, that you're screwing us over _again_, I will find a way to kick you out of this company and make sure you never work in New York ever again."

The dark haired woman nodded before answering, "Understood."

"Harvey, you and I can finish our discussion later. I've got plans that I can't be late for." Jessica stated as she stood and exited Harvey's office.

* * *

Harvey watched her retreat down the hallway for a moment before addressing the woman who was still seated across from him, "She might be willing to believe in your sob story, but I'm not that gullible.

Alannah crossed her arms, "You and I both know Jessica is a lot of things, but gullible isn't one of them. People _are_ capable of changing, Harvey."

"According to you, Hardman didn't, but he's trying his hardest to make everyone believe he did. Who's to say you aren't the same?" he questioned.

"What's it going to take for you to trust me?" she countered.

Harvey didn't bother to hide his smirk, "Hell freezing over?"

"Cute." Alannah said as she rolled her eyes, "You used to be so charming when it came to the ladies. What happened?"

"Oh, I'm still charming," he replied as he got up from his desk and stood in front of his autographed basketball collection, "I just don't consider you a lady."

"Then what am I?"

"A home wrecking parasite?" he suggested.

Alannah stood and turned to face him as she leaned against his desk, "It seems you've lost your touch on insults as well."

"Would you prefer I called you a tawdry little strumpet?"

"I'm more partial to brazen hussy," she retorted with a shrug, "but at least 'tawdry little strumpet' is certainly more becoming of a man of your caliber and vocabulary."

Harvey stared at her a few moments before speaking, "HHar: Interesting."

"What?"

"I seem to remember calling you both those things five years ago and Hardman had to restrain you from attacking me," he recalled.

"Like I said, Harvey. I've grown up," she shrugged again, "I know exactly what I did, how wrong it was, and I've accepted that I can't take it back. We're lawyers, Harvey. We make tough decisions every day. Whether to settle or go to court. What defense to use. Butter up an opposing counsel's witness or play hardball with them when they take the stand. Sometimes, we're right and, sometimes, we're not. I chose Daniel over our clients, Jessica, and you all those years ago. I chose wrong and there's not a day that goes by that I don't regret it. There's no real reason for me to come back here unless I wanted to make it right. I would have continued working my way up the Wellington Lockley ladder. Talk to whatever sources you have to, but I was well on my way to being made a senior partner there."

"And you came back because Daniel asked you to," he observed.

"No, Harvey. I came back because I knew he was going to be gunning for you two. I owe it to Alicia and Sarah to make sure that doesn't happen," she explained.

"You owe it to a dead woman who can no longer confront you about the fact that you spent years screwing her husband and to a girl who doesn't know you have anything to atone for? It all makes sense now. Of course, we should just trust you even though you've got a track record of screwing us over. Selfless martyr isn't a role that suits you well. You might want to try a new angle," he countered, sarcasm dripping from every word.

Alannah pushed off his desk and moved so she was standing right in front of him, "You want a new angle? Fine. Let me put it to you in terms I know you'll understand because you always have been and probably always will be all about yourself. I'm not here because I've become a self-sacrificing idealist who wants hold hands and sing kumbaya with you and Jessica and the rest of the firm. I'm not here because I believe Jessica is the best partner to manage this firm. I'm not here trying to help you guys oust Daniel because I give a damn about him embezzling from clients. I'm here, Harvey, because to a certain extent, I'm still the same selfish girl you remember from five years ago. I'm here because I want to be able to look myself in the mirror and not feel like I'm drowning in shame and disgust. I want Sarah to be able to talk about how much she wants a marriage like her parent's and not feel like I'm going to throw up. I want to donate money to breast cancer charities and feel like I'm doing something good in remembrance of a friend instead of paying a penance for my bad behavior. And, more than anything, I want Daniel Hardman to know that he may have played the girl I was like a fiddle, but that my friendship with his dying wife helped mold me into a woman that he can't manipulate. I took out my matches and I burnt my bridges with Wellington Lockley by returning here and taking my clients with me because someone needs to pay for what we did to that amazing woman and I, for one, am really sick of that someone being me."

Try as he might, Harvey couldn't stop a smirk from showing on his face, "Now that is a reason I can believe."

Alannah sat back down before speaking, "I'm going to prove to you and Jessica that this time around, I'm going to make the right decision."

"See that you do," Harvey moved past her and reclaimed his seat at his desk that he had vacated moments before, "because last time, I asked Jessica to go easy on you after you stood by Hardman's side."

"And let me guess, you won't ask her to go easy this time around."

Harvey leaned across his desk and, in that moment, Alannah realized that the Harvey Specter she had went toe to toe with all those years ago had become a very different and, perhaps, downright dangerous man to cross, "Not only will I not ask her to go easy, but I'll do everything I can to help her destroy your life."

Luckily for Alannah Cavanaugh, so had she, "Duly noted, Spector."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to review and/or add this story to your story alerts. I really appreciate it.**

**Nelle07 asked an excellent question about who I envision when I think about Alannah. When I'm writing her, I see the actress, Zoe Saladana. I hope this helps you when you're reading as much as it helps me when I'm writing.**

**Disclaimer: I only own what you don't recognize.**

* * *

Alannah opened the one small box she had yet to unpack. She pulled out a picture of her younger self with her father, mother, and older brother. She placed it by her computer before pulling out the second photo that rested inside the box. She placed the picture of herself with her best friend, Monica, and put it on the other side of her computer. The last item in the box was a small photo album that featured photos from her first employment at Pearson Hardman. She flipped through the pages and paused on a picture of her and Harvey. They had been in the firm's law library. Harvey was sitting down and she was standing, but bent down so their heads were next to one another. Harvey didn't have on his suit jacket and his tie was loosened. She looked tired, but had a huge smile on her face. Harvey, however, seemed highly unenthused to be in the picture.

_Alannah removed her glasses and rubbed her tired eyes before braiding her shoulder length black hair and tying it off with a hairband, "Specter, have I ever told you that I really really hate you?"_

_Harvey briefly glanced up at the woman sitting at the table across from him, "You may have mentioned it once or twice in the past hour, yes."_

_She yawned before replying, "Well, I'm mentioning it again."_

_He tossed the document that he was reading on the table, "Hate me all you want, Lanna. If you find the key to me winning this case, I don't really care."_

_She stretched as she asked, "Is there a reason you didn't ask Donna to help?"_

"_She's my assistant, not a paralegal," he answered._

_The associate glared at him, "I'm not a paralegal either, Specter."_

"_Did I ever tell you that I think it's sexy when you call me by my last name?" Harvey asked as he leaned across the table._

"_You know other women might find that smirk of yours to be a turn on, but I just want to smack it off your face." She grinned, "Speaking of sexy and paralegals, why didn't you ask the new one to help you? What's her name? Kelly something or other."_

"_Kelly Anderson."_

"_I knew you'd know, you notorious rake," she teased._

"_Notorious rake?" he shook his head, "You really need to stop reading those historical romance novels."_

"_Are we going to pretend that I haven't caught you reading one or two of those novels whenever you've had to wait for me to finish getting ready whenever me, you, and Donna go out?" She stood and walked around the table. When she got to the side he was seated at, she sat on the table, "Come on, Harvey, don't tell me you haven't ever imagined yourself as some dishonorable duke sneaking off to ravish some gently bred young woman in the middle of the night."_

_Harvey had to force himself to meet her gaze instead of staring at her legs, "Is there a reason we're having this conversation?"_

"_Yes," she answered as she ran a hand up his arm before leaning down to whisper in his ear, "If I have to sit here until stupid o'clock in the morning to help you maintain your winning reputation in your shiny new junior partner title, then you're going to have to deal with me teasing you to amuse myself."_

_She pulled back and dissolved into a fit of giggles as she reclaimed her seat across from him._

_The junior partner loosened his tie as he cleared his throat, "Have I told you I really hate you lately?"_

"_Now we're even," Alannah answered with a grin before yawning, "Harvey, we've been at this for five hours. I don't think we're going to find anything."_

_Harvey picked up the document he had previously abandoned, "There's got to be some way to get around this. They fired her for content they read in emails she sent from her personal account."_

_Alannah took a sip of her coffee, "That she sent on their computer using their servers. They're well within their rights to read her emails. They say that they didn't fire her because she was discussing a lawsuit, but because she was bashing the company as well which is against the agreement she signed when she got hired. You've got nothing, Harv."_

"_You know how I feel about being called that," he growled._

"_You know how I feel about being kept up late to go on a hunting expedition," she spat back._

"_Keep looking. There has to be something." Harvey replied._

_Alannah moved the file she'd been reading to the side and picked up the emails in question, "I feel like I've heard this name before."_

"_What name?" _

"_The guy she sent the emails to, Jackson Riley. Do you happen to know what he does for a living?" Alannah asked._

_Harvey shook his head, "No, I don't. Why?"_

"_I've got a hunch." Alannah opened her laptop and navigated to the Harvard Law School website. She looked up the alumni list and, after finding what she was searching for, she turned the laptop around so he could see the screen "If this is the same guy, he graduated a year before I did. He led study groups as a favor to professors whose classes he had already taken."_

"_If it is the same guy, I can argue that she was seeking his advice as an attorney and what she said was protected under attorney client privilege." Harvey concluded._

_She smiled, "And as someone who had an exemplary record with the company that means they terminated her without just cause."_

_Harvey started gathering up all the documents and books they had strewn across the table, "This is why I asked you to help me instead of anyone else." _

"_Flattery will get you nowhere with me, Specter," Alannah retorted as she put her suit jacket back on._

"_Take comfort in the fact that it was you instead of me that found the answer to winning this case. It doesn't happen very often." Harvey offered as consolation. _

_She rolled her eyes, "Unlike everyone else around here, your ability to be correct doesn't intimidate me. I know I'm good. I don't need to compete with you."_

"_And that is why we're friends." Harvey replied._

_Alannah pulled out her phone, "On second thought, take a picture with me."_

"_Why?"_

_She laughed, "Like you said, it's not very often someone outdoes you. I want to document this moment so I can bruise your ego every now and then in the future."_

"_You're ridiculous."_

"_And you owe me so say cheese," she replied._

A knock on her door pulled her out of her thoughts. She opened the bottom drawer to her desk and dropped it in before motioning for the person on the other side of the door to come in.

* * *

"Hello, Alannah. I'm not sure if you remember me, but I'm Louis Litt. My office is just down that way. I thought I'd reintroduce myself and welcome you back to the firm.

"Of course I remember you," she refrained from adding that she remembered him as the guy who was always determined to outdo Harvey and everyone else, "It's so nice of you to stop by."

He sat down in one of the chairs across from her desk without invitation, "I know it can be quite difficult adjusting when moving from a different firm. If you need any advice or have any questions, don't be afraid to ask me."

She smiled, "Thank you, bu-"

He cut her off and she started to remember that was one habit of his that had always annoyed her, "I'm not just a junior partner. I'm also in charge of all the associates so if they give you any trouble, you just let me know and I'll handle it."

She nodded, "Good to know. Lis-"

Louis carried on speaking as if he hadn't heard her, "I know others at this firm might not feel the same way, but it's nice to have you back."

"Thanks," she resisted the urge to sigh as she continued, "I rea-"

"And by others, I mostly mean Harvey." He leaned towards her and gave what Alannah believed to be his best attempt to look sympathetic, "I know you two stopped being friends a long time ago even though no one seems to know why."

As usual, any mention of her past with Harvey caused her to bristle, "That's really none of y-"

"Not that I'm trying to dig for details," he interjected when he realized he had overstepped his boundaries, "I just wanted to assure you that no one is gossiping about that since you two seem to be the only people who know what happened."

She hadn't thought they were, but since Louis was in her office trying to assure her that no one was talking about it, she knew now that the opposite was more likely than not, "Okay. I appreci-"

"You shouldn't be too worried. Even though he's a senior partner, no one here really likes him," he informed her. "As you know, he's arrogant and thinks he's right all the time. In fact, the guys in mergers and acquisitions a few floors down have a Harvey dart board in their break room. It's a great way to blow off some stress. I sneak down there from time to time. It's quite cathartic landing a dart in that giant forehead of his."

Alannah bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. As much as that little tidbit of information amused her, she really did not want to continue this conversation, "Louis! I am very appreciative that you stopped by to welcome me back to the firm, but as you stated earlier transitioning from one firm to another can be rather difficult. I've got a lot of work to do before I'm fully into the Pearson Hardman routine. As one of this firm's valued associate's, I'm sure you understand the importance of being fully in sync with how this firm works."

"Of course. Of course. Like I said, if you have any questions or you need any help, all you have to do is ask," he said as he stood.

"Actually, I do have a quick question." Alannah called to him before he reached the door.

"Yes?"

"Harvey's associate. What's his name?"

"Mike Ross." Louis answered.

"Can you send him to me? I have a couple of briefs that need proof reading," she asked.

Louis nodded his head, "I can send him, but I don't think Harvey will like it."

"Good." Alannah smiled, "Any opportunity to annoy Harvey, right?"

Louis laughed as he exited her office. She sighed as she mentally prepared herself for the conversation she was about to have with Mike. She knew as soon as she mentioned pawning off dirty work to the associate, Louis would be more than willing to send him to her. She, however, would give those briefs to a different associate to handle. She had far more important things to talk about with this one.

Though she had never exchanged any words with him—having only caught a glimpse of him in Harvey's office—she knew he was intelligent. He had to be if he was Harvey's associate. She only hoped that he was less difficult to deal with than his mentor could be. A soft knock pulled her out of her thoughts. She motioned for him to come in as she stood.

"Louis said you wanted to see me about proofreading some documents for you," he stated as he entered but only took a few steps into her office, "You can just give them to me now and I can take them back to my cubicle."

Alannah resisted the urge to smile. Apparently, Harvey had wasted no time training the puppy to stay away from the big bad wolves who had reappeared at Pearson Hardman, "Sit down, Mike. I can look over my own briefs. There are other things I would like to discuss with you."

* * *

"Donna, my office. Now." Harvey all but growled as he walked into his office.

Donna closed the door behind her and watched her boss pace around his office like a caged animal just waiting for the opportunity to break free, "Look, Harvey, you told me to book my vacation flight using your card as a birthday present. It's not like you can't afford for me to be in first class instead of economy. Last time I flew economy, I ended up next to some guy that smelt like cheese. _Like cheese!_ I'm a first class sort of girl."

"What?" He stopped pacing to look at her, "Donna, that's not what I called you in here to talk about."

"I know," she said with a grin, "But it got you to stop wearing a hole in the carpet. Now, take a deep breath and tell me what's wrong."

Instead of denying that anything was amiss like he normally did, he answered, "I need you to become friends with Alannah."

"Why would I ever want to spend time with that turncoat?" the red head questioned.

"Because Jessica has decided to give her a second chance," his answered, still unable to wrap his head around the previous night's events, "I don't trust her, but I do trust you. You're also the best actress I know."

"Flattery will get you everywhere." Before Harvey could thank her for agreeing, she continued, "Well, flattery and upgrading my hotel room to the presidential suite for my vacation."

He didn't acknowledge her statement as he sat at his desk, "You can go now."

Donna crossed her arms, "Was that a yes or…?"

"You can get out of my office," Harvey paused for a beat before finishing, "and go upgrade your hotel room."

Donna laughed as she exited his office. She briefly stopped at her desk to upgrade her hotel before Harvey changed his mind. After that was accomplished, she began to walk the short distance to Alannah's office with the intent to ask her to grab lunch like they used to do, but stopped short when she saw that Alannah was talking to Mike.

The red head turned back around before either one of them saw her and marched into Harvey's office. When he looked up, she motioned towards Alannah's office, "Houston, we have a problem."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story or added it to their story alerts. It's nice to know that people are enjoying this story. I genuinely appreciate all of the feedback.**

**Disclaimer: I only own Alannah.**

* * *

"I'll stand, thank you," Mike replied as he stepped a tad bit further into Alannah's office.

Alannah nodded as she reclaimed her seat behind her desk. It made no real difference to her whether or not he sat, but she took a mental note that Harvey's associate was clever enough to find a way to show just exactly where his loyalties were without saying it outright.

She leaned back in her chair, "I'm sure Harvey has told you all about my less than cordial exit from the firm five years ago."

Mike shrugged, "He may have mentioned it in passing."

Alannah matched his nonchalant tone of voice, "In passing, huh? Did he also mention that Daniel Hardman is absolutely toxic for this firm and I fully intend to get him out of here as fast as possible? Did he mention that Daniel is not to be trusted under any circumstances? Did he mention that as Harvey's handpicked associate, you are on Daniel's radar even though you had absolutely nothing to do with what happened between all of us five years ago?" Alannah paused for a moment and when he shook his head, she continued, "No? Well, he should have. Daniel is gunning for anyone who has any sort of loyalty to Jessica and Harvey. Nobody is safe and everyone is expendable."

He walked closer to her desk, but still didn't sit, "Why are you telling me this?"

The older woman ran a hand through her hair before answering, "You're the only one who is about to be caught up in this war that didn't know me when the first shots were fired. As such, I believe that you're the only one involved who can look at my actions objectively. Jessica is emotionally involved and, even though he likes to pretend he has no heart, Harvey is too. There will be times that Harvey isn't going to like my suggestions simply because he doesn't like me. All I want from you is to insert some objectivity every now and then into a volatile situation."

"That's it?" Mike asked.

"I see Harvey's already taught you to question everything." Alannah observed with a laugh, "That's it, I promise. Contrary to what James Bond and Miss Moneypenny would have you believe, I'm not the devil's reincarnate. Now, don't panic, but Donna just saw you in here talking to me. I expect Harvey to be here soon."

"What?" Alarm flashed across his face, "I should g-"

"Stay," she commanded as she stood, "I'll handle this."

"No, really." Mike gestured towards the door, "I can just go back to the bullpen."

"Mike, you know how they call Harvey a closer?" He nodded and she smiled as she pointed at her couch, " Well, I'm a fixer and not only am I damn good at what I do, but Harvey doesn't scare me. Never has. Take a seat and watch how Mommy and Daddy handle adult business."

* * *

Harvey stormed into Alannah's office without waiting for any approval from her. Alannah sat on the edge of her desk as she said, "I do realize the walls and door are made of glass, but you really should try knocking. Especially when I'm with an associate."

"_My_ associate." Harvey corrected.

"Nice to see you're still incredibly territorial, Specter." She turned towards Mike, "Remind me to tell you about the time he tried to have Jessica place me on probation because I borrowed his Coltrane record."

Mike turned his gaze towards Harvey, "Seriously?"

"It was a limited edition," he defended.

She rolled her eyes, "That I bought him for his birthday, but he likes to leave that part out of the story."

Harvey turned towards Mike, "She loaned it to her brother so he could impress a jazz musician and get laid."

"What can I say?" Alannah shrugged, "In addition to being a good sister, I'm also one hell of a wing woman. You should know that from personal experience, Harvey."

Harvey's gaze met hers, "There are a lot of things I know about you from personal experience."

"Relax, Harvey. Word on the street is that Mike here proofs briefs faster than any other associate down in the bullpen." She picked up the briefs and tossed them to the associate, "You can go now, Mike. I'm going to lunch with a client and then I'll be out of the office for the rest of the day. Just get those to me by noon tomorrow."

Mike glanced over at Harvey at her request. Harvey gave a slight nod that Alannah would have missed if she hadn't been looking for it. Mike got up from his spot on the couch, grabbed the briefs, and exited her office. She noticed that he headed in the direction of Harvey's office instead of toward the bullpen.

Alannah laughed as she sat back down at her desk, "Did he really just look at you for permission to get out of my office? Tell me, does he sit, roll over, and play fetch too?"

Harvey stuck his hands in his pocket, "Keep your hands off my associate."

"Calm down, Harvey." She leaned across her desk, "It's not that type of party. I learned my lesson about interoffice romances."

His face hardened at the reminder of her affair with Daniel, "That's not what I meant."

"I know. Don't worry, Harvey. I have no use for your associate other than what we've just accomplished."

"And what exactly is that?"

The slightly younger woman smirked, "Everyone just witnessed you storm into my office and are watching us have a rather heated conversation. I'm not the only one that's on Daniel's side in this firm. It's going to get back to him that you and I can't get along. Considering how close we used to be, that'll be music to Daniel's ears."

At this, Harvey stalked over to her desk and leaned over it until they were face to face, "I'm not someone you want to try to manipulate, Alannah. I'm not the same man you knew five years ago. I don't just beat my opponents, I crush them. This isn't a game that you want to play."

Alannah resisted the urge to flinch, "I'm not your opponent, Harvey. We're on the same side."

He shook his head, "I'm not fully convinced of that and until I am, you'd better tread lightly."

Before she could respond, he turned and exited her office.

* * *

The door to Harvey's office barely closed before he asked Mike, "What did she say to you?"

"She asked me to give an unbiased opinion about her suggestions for getting Daniel out of this firm since you might be inclined to shoot them down because you hate her." Mike answered without hesitation.

Disbelief flashed across his face, "And that's it?"

"Yeah," Mike replied and then asked, "If she's Hardman's mistress than why does she want him out of the firm?"

"The reason she gave was a bunch of emotional bullshit that I don't believe and doesn't really matter. I don't trust her and you shouldn't either." He pointed to the documents Mike had in his hand, "Proof those briefs for her and then try to stay as far away from her as humanly possible. I'm giving you permission to tell her no to whatever else she asks of you. If she has a problem with it, I'll handle it."

Mike stood from his spot on the couch and started for the door before stopping, "There's another thing, Harvey."

Harvey sat at his desk before answering, "What?"

"Right before you came in, she said that she was a fixer. What does that mean?" Mike inquired.

"She's a mediation specialist. She takes dueling parties and gets them to compromise and maintain their working relationships," Harvey answered.

"I thought the goal was to win."

Harvey leaned back in his chair, "It is, but, depending on the lawyer, there are different ways to win. Every lawyer has their forte. Louis is a financial expert. I'm a closer. Alannah is a fixer." He picked up a pen and began toying with it, "Let me put it this way, when two parties have a working relationship, Alannah is who you go to for couple's therapy. I'm who you go to for the divorce."

Mike crossed his arms, "Is that even profitable?"

"Considering that with every case she takes on, she's got two clients she can bill instead of one?" Harvey shot back.

"Okay. Stupid question," he yielded, "What happens if mediation fails?"

"It doesn't." Harvey sighed, seemingly bored with this conversation, "Not when she's the lawyer handling the mediation."

"Come on, Harvey." Mike crossed the room and sat down at a chair across from him, "She's got to fail at some point."

"Do I fail, Mike, or do I find a way to get my clients the upper hand even if I can't get them what they originally wanted?" He paused for a second before continuing, "Let me make something very clear, I do not trust that woman. I do not like that woman. I want her and Hardman as far away from this firm as humanly possible. That, however, does not mean that I cannot acknowledge that she is a phenomenal lawyer. She is the best at what she does."

Mike grinned, "Is she better than you?"

Harvey glared, "Don't be ridiculous. Nobody's better than me."

* * *

Alannah walked into the small bistro that operated a few blocks away from the Pearson Hardman building. She smiled when she saw her party was already waiting for her at their usual table.

As soon as she pulled out her chair, he asked, "Well?"

"Everything is in place," she assured him. "Jessica is tentatively on board. Harvey is a little more skeptical. That's to be expected given our past."

Daniel smiled, "Of course. How do you plan on changing that?"

"If I give Jessica a few good tips on staying ahead of you, she'll be fine." She flipped her hair over her shoulder, "As for Harvey? I figure I'll try and pick up where we left off all those years ago."

"He'll never go for that. Not after the way you burned him last time." Daniel pointed out.

"I know," she agreed, "But it'll throw him off his game. His ego is big enough to believe that I've been pining after him all these years. Especially once I get close to Donna again and plant those seeds in her head. We'll have them out of the firm within a year."

"And when we do, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you're promoted to Harvey's senior partner position," he vowed.

"Excellent." She laughed, "I'll definitely enjoy rubbing that in his face."

"We both will." Daniel laughed along with her and then stopped abruptly, "Thank you, Alannah."

"No need for thanks, Daniel." Alannah placed her hand over hers, "We both have something to gain here."

He gave her hand a small squeeze, "That's true, but you've had my back through the embezzlement and Alicia's illness. Even after we ended our romantic relationship, you stayed loyal to our friendship. The relationship you have with Sarah is something I can't thank you enough for."

She returned the gesture, "Sarah's a good kid. Spending time with her is no hardship. As for the rest, our affair aside, you're my friend and mentor, how could I not be loyal to you?"

"You're the only person I fully trust in this firm."

Alannah smiled at the sincerity that was apparent in his voice, "That's probably a wise decision. Now, all this espionage has made me hungry. Let's order and talk about something else, shall we?"

She motioned for the waiter and they spent the rest of their lunch talking about everything, but Pearson Hardman.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed or added this story to their story alerts. I appreciate all of the feedback.**

**Just a heads up, italics indicate a flashback.**

**Disclaimer: I only own Alannah and Monica.**

* * *

_Harvey stared at the sign that read, _O'Callaghan's_, "You live in a bar?"_

_Alannah shook her head and tugged on his arm to get him to follow her towards the door, "No, I live in a loft above a pub."_

"_Seriously?" he replied with a chuckle._

"_I'm not an alcoholic, I swear." Alannah opened the door to the pub, "My best friend is renting to own the pub and the loft. We live together."_

_He leaned down until his head was next to her ear and whispered over the music, "You do realize you're a lawyer who also happens to have zero student loans thanks to the firm. You could afford a nicer place."_

_She gently pushed him away, "Well, aren't you just a big snob."_

"_I just don't believe in living like I'm in college when I'm out in the real world with an adult job," Harvey defended._

_The slightly younger woman smiled, "Just call me Peter Pan because Monica and I are determined to never fully grow up."_

"_Dia duit, Lana!" a red head greeted as she pulled Alannah into a hug._

"_Dia is Muire duit!" She released herself from the hug and turned towards Harvey, "Monica, this is a fellow associate, Harvey Specter. Harvey, this is Monica O'Callaghan."_

"_Nice to meet you." Monica shook his hand before motioning to the patrons of the bar, "As you can see, we're pretty busy tonight so do me a favor and serve yourself, deirfiúr."_

"_No problem." Alannah replied before her friend walked away. The young woman headed for a secluded table in the corner with Harvey following behind her. She pointed, "Sit." _

_Harvey watched her walk towards the bar. She nodded her head along to the music that was playing as she slipped behind the bar and filled two mugs with beer. She rejoined him at the table and sat the mugs down. She took off her suit jacket and pulled off her heels. She pushed one of the mugs across the table to Harvey before taking a sip of her own._

_He eyed the glass skeptically, "What is this?" _

"_O'Hara's." Alannah gleefully took another sip before finishing her statement, "No other beer is better and since you're not paying, you'll take what I give you."_

_He pushed the glass to the side before asking "What language were you speaking earlier?" _

"_Irish." She stared at his untouched mug, "You really should drink that, Harvey. It's the best beer you'll ever have in your life."_

_He took a sip, "Happy? Now, what I want to know is why you speak Irish and have an obviously deep affection for their beer?"_

"_Because I'm half Irish and no, I don't mean in the way college frat boys claim to be of Irish descent on Saint Padraig's day." Harvey started to speak, but she cut him off, "And no, I didn't pronounce that wrong. I just refuse to use the Americanized name of Patrick. My Da was born and raised in Dublin. He met my mom when he came to New York through a study abroad program in college. He went back to Ireland, finished his last semester and moved here to be with her. We spent every summer in Ireland which is how I know Monica. My grandda and her grandda own a bar together back in Ireland."_

"_How did I not know that?" he asked as he took another sip of his beer._

_She grinned, "My last name should have given you some indication and, if that didn't, my slight accent should."_

"_It's New York," he defended, "Everybody has an accent."_

"_I guess I'll concede that point," she said through her laughter._

_He waited until she'd stopped laughing before getting serious, "You want to talk about the case now?"_

_She took a large sip from her mug, "Not really."_

_Harvey did his best to sound sympathetic, "Everyone loses."_

"_Not you."_

"_Well, I'm extraordinary." Even though he was trying to make her feel better, he couldn't stop hide the smirk from forming on his face, "Comparing yourself to me is unfair. Just ask Louis."_

_She glared at him, "Comparing me to Louis Litt isn't helping."_

"_Getting drunk isn't going to help either."_

_She smiled and batted her eyelashes at him, "But if I get drunk, you might actually have a chance to have your wicked way with me."_

_Harvey chuckled as he unbuttoned his suit jacket, "I'm Harvey Specter. I wouldn't need to get you drunk for that."_

"_I'm Harvey Specter," she mimicked, "Does that actually work on women? "_

_He shrugged, "You'd be surprised.""_

_She shook her head, "Sorry to disappoint you, but I've got standards, Specter."_

_He pretended to be offended, "I don't meet those standards?"_

"_Do you honestly want me to answer that?"_

"_Not really," he answered. "Lanna, it wasn't your fault. Nicole didn't give you pertinent information and you got surprised on the stand. You can only work with what people give you."_

_Alannah sighed, "You manage to get around that."_

"_Again, extraordinary."_

_She rolled her eyes, "I should have invited Donna instead of you."_

"_Donna wouldn't let you make her drink O'Hara's," he shot back._

"_Donna doesn't get on my nerves," she replied without missing a beat._

"_Ouch. If I had feelings, I'd be hurt." Harvey said as he placed his hand over his heart, "But I've been told I'm emotionally unavailable."_

_She leaned back in her chair and placed her feet in one of the empty chairs at their table, "That's only because you didn't let them stick around long enough to find out that you're really a big marshmallow underneath."_

"_I am not."_

"_But you are," she argued, "You could be out on the town right now picking up some woman who is in awe of you, but you're not. You're here, trying to make me feel better about making a fool of myself in front of Jessica."_

"_It wasn't that bad," he assured and then winced at how condescending it sounded._

_She decided to gloss over it instead of calling him out on it, "Daniel finally let me sit at the adult table and I screwed up. I don't think I'm cut out of the courtroom. I don't think I have that cutthroat instinct that you do."_

"_Again," he motioned to himself, "extraordinary."_

_She picked up a peanut from the bowl that was in the middle of the table and threw it at him, "Shut up. Look, I've been doing research. Trying to figure out how to make myself super valuable to the firm and put myself on the partnership track."_

"_Daniel Hardman is your mentor. I'm pretty sure you are already on the partnership track." When he only received a glare as an answer, he asked, "What'd you come up with?"_

"_Mediation."_

_He waited for her to continue and when it became apparent that she thought that explained everything, he asked, "What about it?"_

"_No one in the firm specializes in it which is a shame because with every case, you get to bill two clients instead of one. I would hardly ever have to see the inside of a courtroom. It's a win-win for the firm and for me," she explained._

_He nodded, "What'd Daniel say?"_

"_I haven't talked to Daniel yet. I wanted to run it by you first." After she finished that statement, Harvey started looking around the bar. She turned to see if anyone was behind her and when she found no one there, she questioned, "What are you doing?"_

"_I was looking for Rod Serling," he answered, "I was waiting for him to tell me that we've entered the Twilight Zone. You're actually seeking my opinion over Hardman's?"_

_Alannah gave a small snort, "No. But you'll poke holes in it so I can go to him with a solid argument."_

"_I'm crushed."_

"_Lie. Emotionally unavailable, remember?"_

_He grinned, "Big marshmallow, remember?"_

_She grinned back, "If I become the best damn mediator in this town, Harvey, I make myself indispensable to the firm._

"_No one is indispensable," he pointed out._

"_Besides you?" _

_He laughed, "Again, extrao-"_

_She launched another peanut across the table at him, "You are so full of yourself, Specter."_

_He caught the peanut in midair and popped it in his mouth, "I wouldn't be a good lawyer if I wasn't."_

* * *

"You gonna sit around all afternoon or are you actually going to help me clean for the nighttime rush?" Monica O'Callaghan asked as she threw a dry dishrag at her friend and pulled Alannah out of her thoughts.

She picked up the rag and stood, "Sorry. I was just reliving some memories."

Monica teased, "And would any of these memories have to do with a tall cocky lawyer who looks rather dashing in a three piece suit?"

"Five years later and you still haven't gotten that that ship has sailed?" Alannah asked as she began to wipe down the table that had been sitting at.

"And yet, you're the one daydreaming about him so maybe you haven't gotten that memo either?" she shot back as she moved from the table she had been cleaning to a different one.

"Mon, could we not do this today?" she sighed, "Being back at Pearson Hardman is stressful enough. I'd like to come home and be able to relax."

She stopped cleaning and crossed her arms, "Does that mean I can't remind you that your incredibly intelligent best friend warned you that going back wasn't a wise choice?"

The other woman looked at the floor, "I had to. You know that."

"No, Alannah, I don't know that." Monica threw her rag on the table, "What I do know is that you barely escaped Pearson Hardman with your career intact last time. Deirfiúr, you know I'll stand beside you no matter what, but that doesn't mean that I'm not going to tell you that I believe that this is a bad life choice."

"Daniel made sure I was taken care of when I was fired," she argued.

The red head scoffed, "He should have. He was the reason you were fired. You don't owe Daniel, Lanna. _He _owesyou."

"Dammit, Mon, I don't want to hear this lecture again," Alannah flung her rag down in frustration and sat back down in the seat she had vacated.

"And I don't want to give it again because it's always going to fall on deaf ears." Monica sat down across from her. She took a few deep breaths before moving on to what she thought would be safer territory, "What was it like seeing Harvey again?"

Grateful for the subject change even if she wasn't particularly thrilled with whom her friend had changed the subject to, "He threatened me."

"He what?" she exclaimed as she pushed back her chair and started to get up, "I'll kill him."

"Sit down!" Alannah tried to hide her smile at Monica's protectiveness, "He only threatened to ruin my life if I screwed him and Jessica over again. In his defense, it was after I was toying with his associate."

Monica crossed the room and sat down in front of her, "Are you sure you want to take him on again?"

"Monica." Alannah scolded.

"Don't Monica me," she reprimanded, "I'm your best friend. Your sister by choice and I was there through it all the first time around. Jessica firing you from Pearson Hardman mildly upset you, but you were damn near inconsolable after Harvey kicked you out of his apartment and told you to never come back. I don't want to see you like that again."

"I won't be," she guaranteed, "Harvey doesn't get to me like he did back then. I'll be fine."

"Okay," Monica replied skeptically, "Look, I think you're a right eejit for doing this, but on the off chance that it all goes to hell, I'm here for you."

She smiled, "I know and I appreciate it."

"Now," Monica picked up the rag that Alannah had tossed down earlier, "get back to scrubbing."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has added this story to their alerts or favorites. I also thank everyone who has taken the time to review. I appreciate the feedback. **

**Disclaimer: I only own Alannah. **

* * *

Harvey was reading over his current case file as he walked past Donna's desk. He held out his hand without looking, fully expecting for her to place a coffee cup in it. When it didn't happen, he stopped reading the documents and saw that she had several files sitting in front of her, "What are you doing?"

Donna didn't take her eyes off of her computer screen, "Typing up a list of all your cases from five years ago until now so Rachel can research and summarize all of them for Hardman."

"On whose orders?" He questioned and the look he received answered him without her saying a word, "You can stop typing up that list. If Hardman wants to know about my cases, he can do the research his damn self."

She closed the open file that was sitting beside her computer. The red head looked up at him and rubbed her hands together in excitement, "Are you going to inform him of that in person or should I send him a scathing email from your account?"

"Is he in his office?" he asked.

Donna nodded, "For about an hour now."

He turned on his heel and headed towards Hardman's office. On his way, he passed Alannah's and observed that she wasn't there. He briefly wondered where she was before reminding himself that he shouldn't actually care what she was up to as long as she wasn't standing in the way of booting Hardman out of the firm. As he approached Hardman's office, he recalled Alannah's jab the day she was with Mike about knocking even though the walls and doors were made out of glass. He briefly considered it, but knocking was reserved for people whose time he respected. Daniel Hardman wasn't on that small list of people.

The door barely closed behind Harvey before he demanded, "Is there a reason you're requesting summary of all my cases?"

Daniel glanced at Harvey before returning his eyes to the paper in front of him, "I'm requesting it of every partner. I just want to get caught up on what I missed while I was gone."

Logically, it wasn't an outrageous request for Hardman to want to learn what he had missed over the past five years, but his dismissive tone got under Harvey's skin and the senior partner couldn't resist attempting to have the last word, "Let me make something very clear to you. Donna answers to me and I answer to number one not number two. The name on the door is _Pearson_ Hardman. Jessica knows what I've been up to and has no complaints."

Hardman sighed and set the document he was reading down on his desk. His eyes locked with Harvey's, "Let me make something very clear to you, Harvey. I founded this firm and you may not like nor trust me but you _will_ respect me."

He scoffed before responding, "Respect you? Do you really expect me to have any respect for a man who stole from the very firm he founded for his own selfish gain and when confronted, he lied and used his daughter as an excuse?" His eyes flicked over Hardman in disgust, "You expect me to have respect for a man who seduced the woman he was supposed to be mentoring?"

"That's what this is really about, isn't it? Alannah. What was it that you used to call her? Lanna?" Hardman chuckled, "I may have stolen from this firm to pay off my gambling debts, but I didn't seduce Lanna. She came to me and when she did, she did so quite willingly—every single time." A victorious smirk formed on his face, "It's not my fault that the so-called greatest closer in town couldn't close that deal before I did."

Harvey was starting to see exactly why Alannah might turn on this man who she had once professed to be in love with, "Does Alannah know that you tend to talk about her like cattle for auction instead of someone who claims to love her?"

The founding partner held up his hand, "Ah, careful, Harvey. Someone might accidently get the impression that you still care."

"About Alannah? No." Harvey shrugged before crossing his arms, "About breaking up your partnership? Absolutely."

"You tried that once and failed," Hardman reminded him.

"With age comes wisdom and a whole host of tactics that I'm not afraid to use." Harvey retorted.

"I'm done with this conversation." Hardman waved him off, "You can get out of my office now."

Any other partner in the firm would have made a hasty exit after being dismissed by the founding partner of the firm. Harvey, however, met his gaze, held it, and didn't make any sort of move towards the door. After a minute or so, Hardman finally looked away before picking up the document he had been reading when Harvey barged into his office. Satisfied with having made it clear exactly where he stands in the firm's civil war, Harvey withdrew from Hardman's office.

* * *

Alannah walked into the copier room and saw Donna standing at one of the fax machines. She decided to use the copier that was on the opposite side of the room. After it became apparent that the red head was sending more than one fax and would be there for a while, Alannah decided to speak.

"The kid is good."

Donna looked at her, confusion on her face, "Excuse me?"

"Mike," Alannah explained, "You know. Harvey's associate."

"I'm aware of who he is." Donna replied.

Alannah decided to pretend that she hadn't heard the sarcasm in her voice, "I had him proof a few briefs for me. Best work I've ever had from an associate."

"You know Harvey. He only surrounds himself with the best." Donna gave her a pointed look before adding, "Well, usually. Every now and then he makes an error on his judgment of someone's character."

The younger woman sighed, "I deserve that."

"Yeah, you do." She pressed a few buttons on the machine before she said, "He was a mess after you left."

"Left?" Alannah shook her head, "Let's call a spade a spade, Donna. I got kicked out. They kicked me out of the firm and then Harvey turned around and threw me out of his apartment and life. As for him being a mess?" She let out a bitter chuckle, "Last time I checked, hell hadn't frozen over so there's no way I believe that."

"Harvey doesn't get emotional like most people." Donna defended. "You know that. He was on autopilot for weeks. He left the room if someone even so much as mentioned your name."

"Well then, let me just go get on my knees and beg his forgiveness," she replied as she snatched her document out of the copier. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath and then said, "Donna, he wasn't the only on who got hurt and as far as I'm concerned, his choices started the whole thing."

In that moment, Donna didn't see the woman who had betrayed the firm and Harvey. Something in her tone of voice took the red head back to a time when they had actually been friends, "Lanna, I u-"

"Alannah," she interrupted, a hard edge in her voice, "Only friends and family call me Lanna."

Donna marched over to the door and locked it before turning back around to face the lawyer. Her voice was low and venomous as she seethed, "I _lied_ to Harvey for you. Am _still_ lying for you so don't you dare insinuate that I have been anything less than a friend to you."

"What?" surprise flashed across Alannah's face, "Why didn't you tell him?"

"What's the point of kicking someone when they're already down for the count?" Donna answered and then quipped, "Unless it's Louis. Then you definitely go for the extra kicks."

Alannah looked at the floor as she spoke, "My friend comment was out of line. I'm sorry.

"Does Monica still own that pub?" She waited for Alannah to nod her head before continuing, "Good. You can make it up to me by buying me drinks tonight."

"Ah," the lawyer smiled, "nice to see that bribery still works on you."

"Some things never change, my dear," she motioned for Alannah to hand her the files she had been faxing.

As she handed them to her, Alannah said, "But some things do. I have, Donna. I know Harvey doesn't believe I have, but he's wrong."

"We'll see," Donna gave her a small smile before heading out of the room.

* * *

Donna noticed that Harvey was alone in his office as she slid into her chair. She hit the intercom button, "I'll need to leave early today."

Harvey would never tell her no, but felt obligated to ask anyway, "Why?"

"I need to go change clothes before I grab drinks at O'Callaghan's with Alannah," she explained.

A very rare but genuine smile briefly appeared on Harvey's face as he responded, "Good girl."

"Harvey Specter, I am a lot of things, but a 'girl' is not one of them. I much prefer the title of goddess," Donna teased before getting back to her work for the day.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, and/or added this story to your alerts. I really do appreciate it.**

**If any of you had the same worries as Ever Penning Song, let me assure you that in this story, Donna isn't going anywhere. My heart could barely take seeing her get fired on the show. I don't think I'd survive it if I booted her from my story as well.**

**As always, any and all feedback is welcome.**

**Disclaimer: I only own the places and people you fellow Suitors don't recognize.**

* * *

The first thing Donna noticed as she and Alannah exited the cab they taken to get to _O'Callaghan's _was that the signage was no longer a tacky neon monstrosity. The owner had traded that in for what seemed to be a hand carved wooden sign. She also noticed that the patio area in the front no longer featured mismatched chairs paired with badly aged tables.

As they entered the pub, she heard a familiar voice exclaim, "Donna!"

The owner practically sprinted over to where she and Alannah stood. She hugged her as she cried, "Monica!"

Monica released her from the hug, "Long time, no see. How has my hair twin been?"

"Fabulous as always," Donna answered with a flip of her hair, "How about you?"

"Wonderful." The fellow red head motioned to the rest of the pub, "As you can see, this place is better than ever."

"Is it finally yours?" the older woman inquired with a smile.

Monica nodded, "Paid it off three years ago and started making renovations. It's definitely not the hole in the wall it used to be."

Donna allowed her gaze to sweep across the pub for a few beats before commenting, "The booths look a lot more comfortable than those drab brown ones that you used to have."

"I know!" Monica emphatically agreed. "I wanted to weep every time I had to clean them."

Alannah laughed, "I forgot how dramatic you two can be when you get together."

"Dramatic?" Her lifelong friend glared at her, "I think you mean remarkable."

"Don't you have a bar to run?" she countered.

"Good point," she granted before giving Donna's shoulder a light squeeze, "Good to see you, Donna. Don't be a stranger and, as always, your money is no good here. Seat yourselves anywhere and I'll send Abby over to take your orders."

Alannah moved towards the back booth that she always sat in whenever she drank in the pub. Donna silently followed after her. Once they were seated, Abby came over to the pair and took their drink orders.

Once she'd left, Donna spoke, "I bet you're proud of all that Monica's done. I know how much she wanted to own and remodel this place."

"I really am." The pride was evident on her face, "There are so many times I offered to pay off the balance and she just pay me back when she could, but she wouldn't do it. Mon wanted to do it all on her own. It's been a long time coming, but all her hard work finally paid off."

"It definitely shows." Donna looked around again, "If you would have just shown me pictures without bringing me here, I never would have guessed this was the same place."

At that moment, Abby returned and sat their drinks down. Once the waitress had left, Alannah took a deep breath before speaking, "I know why you suggested coming here."

"Free drinks and to see you grovel for your bad behavior in the copier room?" Donna suggested.

"That," the young woman laughed as she continued her statement, "and Harvey. He doesn't want to play nice, but if you do, on his orders, he can pacify Jessica."

The red head didn't even try to deny it, "You were always an observant girl."

"I also know that on the very short list of people he trusts, you're probably at the top." She took a sip of her drink, "If I can convince you that I've changed, I've basically convinced Harvey."

The other woman took a sip of her own drink before replying with an amused smile on her face, "Well, you've already shown me that one thing about you has changed."

"What?"

"You were never this much of a straight shooter." The assistant saluted the other woman with her glass, "I like it. It fits you."

Alannah tried to suppress her smile as she dug through the messenger bag she had sat in the booth beside her and pulled a piece of paper out of a folder. She slid it across the table to Donna.

"What's this?"

"Jessica is well liked and respected." A grin broke out one her face, "Harvey, on the other hand, not so much. People don't like that he's always right."

Donna swirled her straw around her glass as she said, "It never seemed to bug you."

Alannah shrugged, "That's because I always viewed him as my teammate not my competition. Jason Terry is still an NBA champion even though he was the Robin to Dirk Nowitzki's Batman. I didn't mind being the sidekick as long as we brought in the wins." She gestured to the list that she'd given to the other woman, "Daniel and I have went through the other departments. This is a list of all the people who will be easily swayed to Daniel's side if Jessica doesn't start doing some ass kissing. Harvey probably won't see me outside of the office and trying to see Jessica in or out of the office is too risky. I need you to pass it along."

"This quite a lengthy list," she observed as she read through the names.

"You know Harvey's always been an overachiever," she teased.

She folded the list and tucked it away in her purse. Both women sipped their drinks as an awkward silence fell between them. Once upon a time, the pair had been good friends. At first, they were bound by the fact that they were both on the short list of people that Harvey would admit that he cared about. As time passed, they'd grown to have a genuine affection for one another. Their bond had never transcended the relationship that each of them had with Harvey, but as two of the most important women in his life, they had come to understand, enjoy, and even care for one another. The secret Alannah had asked Donna to keep from her boss and friend weighed as heavily on their friendship as Alannah's betrayal weighed on the friendship she had forged with Harvey.

Donna broke the silence and, when she did, she asked a question she had been wondering for years,"Why'd you do it?"

Alannah misunderstood and thought she was talking about the list she had compiled, "Because I have a lot to make up for."

"No, I don't mean the list," Donna clarified with a wave of her hand, "That I get. I might as well call you Lady Macbeth with all the guilt you're carrying." She made sure that Alannah was holding her gaze before she explained, "I'm talking about the fact that six months before Jessica and Harvey found out about Hardman's crimes, you found out he was embezzling from the firm. He sold you some sob story and said he'd fix it. He fooled you into thinking he'd paid everything back. When Jessica and Harvey confronted you with the fact he hadn't stopped, you agreed to blackmail him into bowing out of the firm. Yet, when the dust cleared, you were on Hardman's side not Harvey's." The assistant shook her head, "_That's _what I don't get."

"I loved him," the lawyer explained.

"Bullshit," Donna challenged without missing a beat. "A woman who is completely in love with a man doesn't go to another man's apartment and beg him to listen to why she's made the choices she made no matter how close their friendship is. Don't forget, Lanna, I'm the one who got a cab and brought you here to Monica. I saw how distraught you were. You know Harvey well enough to know that _'I love him'_ wasn't going to get Harvey to forgive your betrayal. So, again, I ask, why did you side with Daniel Hardman?"

She ran a hand through her hair and sighed in frustration, "The past should stay in the past, Donna. Why I did it doesn't matter as much as the fact that I did it."

"Far enough," the red head accepted and asked another question she'd wondered over the years since Alannah's departure, "If you could go back and do it all over again, would you?"

The younger woman avoided her gaze as she answered, "I don't know if I could have made a different choice."

Donna eyed the other woman for a moment in disbelief, "Then maybe you haven't changed as much as you'd like everyone to believe you have. Thanks for the drink and the list. I'll make sure Harvey gets it.

At that, she gathered up her purse and slid out of her side of the booth. She stalked over to the bar to give a quick goodbye to Monica before making her exit. Alannah watched her leave and couldn't decide if her answer had angered or disappointed her. More importantly, she couldn't decide which reaction made her feel worse.

"Abby," the lawyer called as the waitress walked past her, "Bring me the whole bottle of Jameson."

* * *

Donna knocked on her boss' door and hoped that she wasn't interrupting any extracurricular activities. He opened the door and she pushed past him without waiting for him to invite her in. He watched her take a seat on his couch.

"What's the point of knocking if you're not going to wait for me to actually ask you to come in? You might as well just use your key." Harvey said as he closed the door behind him and joined her on the couch.

She ignored his jab, "She's hiding something."

Harvey ran a hand across his face, "So I was right. We shouldn't trust her."

"No, I believe she's sincere about wanting to bring Hardman down." She reached into her purse and tossed the piece of paper Alannah had given her onto the coffee table, "There's a list of people you and Jessica need to schmooze before Hardman has them pledging their loyalty to him."

He picked up the list and glanced over it as he asked, "Then what do you think she's hiding?"

"That night you called me to come get her from outside your door because you couldn't reach Monica, did you listen to any of what she was trying to say?" Donna inquired.

Harvey stared at her, "What does that have to do with anything that's going on right now?"

"Harvey, that's a yes or no question." Donna scolded, "Yes or no."

Harvey set the list back on the table and turned to his assistant, "I already know what she was going to say. _'I love him. He's sorry. He can't help it. His gambling is a disease.'_ I'd already heard the excuses from him. I didn't want to hear them from her as well."

"I asked her if she could go back, would she make a different choice."

"Let me guess." A humorless chuckle escaped from his lips, "She said if she could go back, she'd change it in a heartbeat."

"Actually," Donna began as she shook her head, "she said she didn't know if she could make a different choice. Not that she _wouldn't_, but that she _couldn't_."

"And this matters why?"

"Don't be obtuse," the red head demanded, "You're both lawyers. You pick your words carefully. I'm telling you that something happened back then that we don't know about."

"Maybe so, but it doesn't change anything," he asserted as he turned away from Donna, "We all made our choices and we have to live with them." He picked up the list again, "Thank you for bringing me the list."

Noting how rigid his face was set, she decided not to ignore his dismissal. She stood with her purse, but didn't immediately exit his residence. She opened his liquor cabinet and poured him a glass of scotch. She sat it in front of him, "I'd tell you to have fun figuring out how to approach everyone on that list, but I know you well enough to know that when I leave, you're just going to replay that conversation you had with Alannah all those years ago before you kicked her out. You're going to try to pick up on what your emotions blinded you to and you're going to sulk over what she might have been trying to tell you."

"I don't sulk," he denied.

"Maybe you don't, but you didn't deny the rest of my statements," she countered.

"That's because the rest of your statements were laughable." He looked up from the list, "Like I said, it doesn't matter."

"Save that line for Mike. He wasn't around back then so he might actually believe you." Donna crossed her arms, "You don't want it to matter, but it does. Always has when it comes to her."

Harvey picked up the drink that she had made him in his free hand, "Okay, Dr. Phil. You can stop trying to analyzing me now."

She gave a soft sigh before heading towards the door. She opened it and turned back to him, "Good night, Harvey."

"Lock the door behind you, Donna."

As soon as the door closed behind her, he sat down the list and leaned his head back on the couch. He knew that he should be looking over the names that Alannah had supplied so he could start formulating the best plan of attack, but he knew there was no way he would be able to concentrate on that after the conversation he'd just had with Donna. He downed the glass of scotch before lumbering over to the liquor cabinet and taking the whole bottle. He resumed his place on the couch and poured another drink. He resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn't be able to give that list the concentration it deserved until in the morning. Tonight, it was going to be him and his memories.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed or added this story to their story alerts. I greatly appreciate the feedback. It lets me know that I'm taking this story in the right direction.**

**Also, the majority of this chapter is a flashback. Several characters have mentioned the night that Harvey kicked Alannah out of his apartment and now you'll get to see how that played out. I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I only own the people you fellow Suitors don't recognize.**

* * *

Alannah took the bottle of Jameson from Abby's hand, "Put the whole thing on my tab. I'm going upstairs."

She stood from the booth and headed towards the door that led to the stairs to her loft. Once she was inside, she turned on her favorite blues station and poured herself a glass of whiskey. She accepted the fact that she was going to be nursing a hangover in the morning as she let the memories of a night she longed to forget wash over her.

* * *

Harvey stopped drinking long enough to turn on the radio that he had hooked up to play throughout the apartment. He flipped through the few progamed stations he had until he found the blues station that he enjoyed listening to. If he was going to relive memories he'd tried to keep buried, he might as well have a proper soundtrack to go along with it.

* * *

_Alannah took a deep breathe as she stepped off the elevator to Harvey's apartment. Her hand shook as she tried to put the key in the door. Normally, she only used the key when he wasn't home, but she knew he wouldn't let her in if she knocked. When she entered, he was sitting on his couch reading a case file._

_"Harvey," she tentatively called from her spot beside the door._

_"Put your key on the table and get out," he replied without looking at her._

_Alannah ignored his dismissal, "Harvey, please."_

_He looked at her, his gaze colder than she'd ever seen from him before, "I don't want to hear it."_

_"Outside of Monica, you're my best friend." She walked closer to him, "Harvey, please, just hear me out."_

_"You don't lie to your best friend, Alannah," he tossed the file down and stood._

_Tears began to build in her eyes at his use of her full name, "I didn't lie. When you asked me if I was having an affair with Daniel, I told you the truth. I didn't tell you when it started because I knew you wouldn't approve. You're not Daniel's biggest fan and it wa-"_

_The older lawyer cut her off, "He stole from our clients and then blamed it on his wife and teenage daughter to cover it up. How could you stand beside a man like that?"_

_"It's not what you think, I swear," she defended._

_"What I think is that I went to bat with you for Jessica. She wanted to kick both of you out of the firm from the beginning, but I convinced her that you would help us. Convinced her that you might be his mistress but you wouldn't stand by and let him steal from our clients," he countered, anger dripping from every word, "Very rarely do I read people wrong, but I misjudged you. You're both lying low lifes."_

_The tears Alannah had managed to keep at bay started falling in response to his last statement. She took a few deep breaths before speaking, "Harvey, I understand why you're angry with me but please just hear me out. Daniel ga-"_

_"I don't want to hear another word from you." He moved past her and opened the door, "Now, you can either get out of my apartment on your own or I can call building security and have them hold you until the police come arrest you for trespassing. Your choice."_

_Alannah started to argue until she met his stare. The eyes staring at her no longer held a sense of warmth and familiarity. She was now met with the same gaze that she had only seen a handful of times over the years when he spoke of his mother or Cameron Dennis. She pulled the key to his apartment off of her key ring and placed it in his hand as she walked out of the door._

_She turned around to speak and was met with him closing the door in her face. She leaned against the door as she slid down it, allowing herself to succumb to the waves of tears she'd tried not to shed during their argument. Her hope was that he would hear her and open the door so she could talk to him._

_Harvey listened for a few minutes to the sound of Alannah crying outside of his door before he pulled out his cell phone and called Monica._

_It rang a few times before going to her voicemail. Glancing at the clock in , he realized she was probably in the middle of her Friday night college rush. He dialed another number._

_"Donna, I need you to do me a favor."_

* * *

_Donna stepped off the elevator and her heart broke at the sight before her. Alannah was sitting outside of Harvey's door, makeup mixed with tears as they streamed down her face. Her hair was haphazardly pulled into a ponytail, but the younger woman hadn't managed to get all of her hair into the elastic band that held it in place. She had her knees pulled to her chest and her arms were resting on them. Donna noted that she was gently rocking back and forth and every few seconds, she reached up to brush away tears._

_The slightly older woman kneeled down before Alannah and rested her hands on her knees, "Lanna."_

_She looked up and a bitter laugh mixed with her sobs before she choked out, "It figures he would call you. You always handle the shit he doesn't want to deal with."_

_Donna brushed a stray hair behind her ear, "Let's get you home, okay?"_

_She shook her head, "He won't listen, Donna. You have to go in there and make him listen to me." She grabbed the other woman's upper arms and pleaded, "Please, Donna. It's not what he thinks. It's not."_

_Before the other woman could respond, Alannah let go and stood from her spot on the floor. Donna let a sigh of relief escape from her lips as she stood as well. She started to head towards the elevator, believing that Alannah had decided to go home. She turned around in horror as the sound of the lawyer pounding on Harvey's doors met her ears. Donna, the woman who always knew what to say and do, was at a loss for words as she watched the other woman beating on the door with both hands as she wailed, "Harvey, open this fucking door! Harvey!"_

_She pounded on the door a few more times before turning around to face Donna. The assistant had to blink back tears at the desperation that shone in Alannah's eyes as she asked, "You have a key, right? He made me give mine back. He'll listen to you, Donna. If you tell him to listen, he'll listen. He has to listen. He has to."_

_Donna gently grabbed her arm and spoke softly as she commanded, "Lanna, let me take you home."_

_"No," Alannah ripped her arm out of her grasp, "You didn't see his face. If I leave now, he'll never speak to me again. Donna, you have to get him to talk to me."_

_"Lanna, look at me." The red head waited until the lawyer was looking her in the eye, "I can't fix this. I wish I could, but he doesn't want to see you. He told me if I let you back in his apartment that he would fire me."_

_Alannah recoiled as if she had been slapped. She knew how long Donna been Harvey's assistant. She knew how much he depended on her. She knew that if he threatened to fire Donna for allowing her back into his apartment, then she didn't have to worry about fighting for her best friend because she had already lost him._

_She fell into the older woman's arms and sobbed uncontrollably. Donna somehow managed to lead her to the elevator and into a cab._

* * *

_As the cab pulled up to _O'Callaghan's_, Donna opened the door and helped Alannah get out._

_"Keep it running. I'll be right back," she told the cab driver._

_When they entered the pub, it only took a few seconds for Monica to spot them. She quickly ended the conversation she'd been having and rushed over to the pair._

_"I'll kill him," she growled._

_"No. My fault. My fault," Lanna wiped away more tears, "I'm so stupid. So fucking stupid."_

_Noticing that patrons of the pub were staring, Monica decided not to argue that point, "Let's get you upstairs,"_

_She took over supporting her from Donna. As the lawyer turned her head into the other woman's shoulder and continued crying, Monica mouthed to Donna, "Thank you."_

_Donna nodded before going back outside to the waiting cab._

_Monica unlocked the door that lead to the stairs to their loft. She guided her to sit on the bottom step so she could give her employees directions for closing the pub. Once she'd done that, she returned to her friend. She helped the lawyer stand and they slowly made their way into the loft._

_Monica unlocked the door and Alannah stopped leaning on her long enough to shuffle over to the couch._

_She flopped down and rested her head against the back of the couch, "He wouldn't listen to me, Mon. I tried to tell him about Daniel blackmailing me but he just kept cutting me off. He looked at me like I was gum on the bottom of his shoe. He made me give him back his key." Her voice cracked as she asked, "What am I going to do?"_

_The pub owner sat next to her and grabbed her hand before softly replying, "This probably isn't what you want to hear, but you've got to let it go." Alannah started to protest, but she continued, "Honey, if he doesn't want to hear what you have to say, then you don't have any other choice."_

_Alannah briefly considered the option before rejecting it and suggesting, "I can call him. That's a good idea, right? Where's my phone? If I keep calling, he'll answer."_

_"No, sweetheart," Monica stated firmly, "he'll get an order of protection and have you charged with harassment. There's nothing you can do at this point, but wait and see if he'll come to you."_

_Alannah felt what little bit of control she had slip. If her only option was waiting for Harvey to come to her, than she and Harvey were truly done. Lanna thought she'd done all the crying she could do on the cab ride home, but she felt fresh tears making an emergence. Her sister by choice wrapped both arms around her, rocked her back and forth, and sang her softly sang her Irish songs of comfort until she fell asleep._

* * *

_Donna returned to Harvey's apartment and let herself with her key. The scene in front of her was less chaotic than the one she'd walked into hours earlier, but no less heartbreaking. All of the things Alannah had given to him or left at his apartment over the years were in two boxes near the door. Harvey was sitting on his couch with a glass of whiskey in his hand and a picture of him and Alannah in the other. The bottle of Jameson sat on the table with an empty glass that she assumed was for her._

_Donna sat down beside him, "Are you okay?"_

_"I'm fine," he tossed the picture on the table, "Have a drink? I know neither one of us are whiskey drinkers, but I don't want any reminders of her. I was going to pour it out, but I planned on drinking anyway. Why waste perfectly good alcohol just because the person who bought it betrayed you?"_

_Donna sighed and started to tell him that drinking the whole bottle wouldn't make the situation better until she noticed the blues music playing throughout the apartment. She decided the best course of action would be to hold her tongue._

_After a lenghty silence, she spoke, "She's at home with Monica. I'm pretty sure Monica will probably have her on the next flight to Ireland to get away from all of this for a little while considering how upset she was."_

_"That's probably best since she no longer has a job," he replied._

_There was so much Donna wanted to say, but she knew he didn't want to hear it. Instead, she poured some whiskey into her glass, figuring it would be better for her to drink some instead of letting him drink it by himself. No further words were exchanged as they sit and let the music engulf them._


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and/or added this story to your alerts and favorites.**

**Ever Penning Song asked me if Harvey listening to blues when he was upset was something I felt his character told me or if I just knew. I felt like it was something I just knew and didn't seem out of place when I wrote it. After all, someone who has the type of music collection Harvey does has to know that there's a song for every situation and mood.**

**Feel free to leave reviews. They let me know that I'm taking this story in the right direction.**

**Disclaimer: I only own what you fellow Suitors don't recognize. If I did, I'd manage to find a way to have Louis tell someone they are going to get Litt Up in every single episode. :)**

* * *

After reading the same sentence for the fifth time and still not fully comprehending what it said, Alannah accepted the fact that she probably wasn't going to be getting any work done for the day. She closed the email that she'd been attempting to read before opening the bottom drawer of her desk. She pulled out the photo album she had put there when she'd unpacked during her first few days back at the firm.

She flipped through the pages that documented her former life and nostalgia with a hint of sadness washed over her.

"Are you okay?" Daniel asked, startling Alannah.

She closed the photo album and put it back in her bottom drawer before answering, "Yeah. Just one of those days I feel a little open and exposed."

"Ah," Daniel nodded as he took a seat across from her, "I feel like that every time I step through the doors."

She shrugged, "We did it to ourselves, right?"

"True," he agreed.

"But I know you didn't stop by to ask me how I am today. What's going on?"

"Our plan A is a no go," he informed her, "Harvey's been closing difficult clients for other departments on Jessica's behalf."

"And if we took a vote, we'd lose." Alannah concluded, "So,now we're in hostile takeover mode."

"Exactly." He placed a laptop on her desk, "Here."

"I already own a laptop."

Hardman smiled, "But not one that's the receiver for the bugs that got planted in Jessica and Harvey's offices last night."

The younger lawyer laughed, "Why, Daniel, how illegal of you."

"It's only illegal if you get caught." He leaned back in the chair, "But we won't. We tried taking over your way. Now, we try mine. I had their office's bugged so we can stay ahead of them and hopefully, find something to use against them."

"And by we you mean me because you don't want to sit through hours of stuff that doesn't matter." Alannah sighed, "You just want me to tell you when I hit pay dirt."

"You were always better at research than I was," he quipped.

"Look at you trying to pacify me with compliments." She picked up the laptop and placed it in her bottom desk drawer, "I'll listen to what's recorded during the week on weekends until I find something."

"Good," he nodded, "Now, I need another favor."

She shook her head, "I'm almost afraid to ask."

"This Friday, there's a charity event," Daniel explained, "Save the whales, ducks, snails or whatever animal Jessica has decided to hitch our star to this month."

"And opening night of Sarah's play is also this Friday." Alannah ran a hand through her hair, "Please tell me you want me to go to that instead of this fundraiser."

"I could say that, but you know I'd be lying," he replied with a laugh.

She groaned, "You know I hate these things."

"As do I," he agreed.

"When I become senior partner, can I decline to go to fundraisers?" Alannah asked.

"When I've regained control of this firm, you can do whatever the hell you want." Daniel answered.

She smiled, "I'll hold you to that, Hardman."

He grinned back at her, "I wouldn't expect anything less, Cavanaugh."

"I'll listen to the first batch of recordings this weekend." She laughed when she saw the look on his face and expanded on her statement, "On Saturday since I'll be saving some sort of animal on Friday."

She stood and walked with Daniel to her doorway. He headed back to his office. She glance towards Harvey's office and noticed that he wasn't there. She started to head to the bullpen to speak to Mike, but stopped when she saw him walking in her direction.

* * *

"Mike," Alannah called as he attempted to walk past her,"just the man I needed to see."

"I'm busy. Harvey needs me in his office," he retorted as he kept walking.

"Word of advice." she said as she grabbed his arm to prevent him from passing her, "If you're going to lie about a partner needing you in their office, you might want to make sure they're actually there first." She watched him glance towards Harvey's empty office before continuing, "Now, get in here."

She sat behind her desk and waited for him to sit across from her, "I know Harvey has probably told you to stay far away from me, but you're going to need to ignore that and read through this contract for me." She leaned back in her chair, "Look, Mike, I'm not trying to bait Harvey. Any other contract and I would give it to one of the other associates, but this is too important. They do good work. I need great work. I want you to find any sort of loophole that would allow this company to get out of it."

The Junior Partner could read the apprehension on his face as he spoke, "Har-"

"Harvey is a grown man and he needs to start behaving like one," she snapped, "If I need to remind him that this is a law firm and our job is to make our clients happy so they pay us outrageous amounts of money, than I will." Alannah leaned forward and stared him in the eye, "But let me take this time to remind you that I am a junior partner which means I trump you. I tell you to do something, you do it. And I know you're going to try and argue that Harvey is a senior partner so he trumps me. My counter argument is that I can call Daniel in here and have him assign you what I just gave you." She pulled the contract out the stack of documents on her desk and set it in front of him, "But instead of going through all that trouble and putting yourself even more on Daniel's radar, why don't you tuck that file away in your desk, take it home, and work your whiz kid magic on it without telling Harvey."

"You want me to lie to Harvey?"

"I want you to find a loophole. If you have to lie to Harvey to accomplish that? So be it." Alannah waved her hand as she said, "You're dismissed."

* * *

"Done with afternoon tea already?" Harvey asked without looking up from the case file he was looking over.

"She grabbed me when I was on my way to see you. It's not my fault that the Joker managed to get Harley Quinn an office a few feet from yours." Mike defended, "If you had actually been in your office, I would have been able to ignore her."

Harvey looked up, "I'm sorry that I'm a real lawyer with real clients to deal with."

Mike flopped down in the chair across from his mentor,"I have real clients!"

The older lawyer closed the folder he'd been looking at, "What'd she want?"

"For me to look through this contract and find her a loophole," he answered as he set the contract on the desk.

Harvey made no motion to look at it, "And you said?"

"I tried to say no," Mike replied.

"You tried to say no?"

Mike fidgeted with his tie, "She threatened to call in Daniel to make me do it."

"Do I need to remind you about the 146 other options, Mike?" Harvey inquired.

Mike shook his head, "Look, I can do it outside of the office and it won't take me long."

Not for the first time, Harvey wondered how his associate could be so smart yet not understand that things like this matter, "But now she knows she can walk all over you if she threatens to run to daddy. What you should have done is threatened to tell mommy since she wears the pants in the family."

"Is there a reason you're referring to Jessica and Hardman as mommy and daddy," he asked, "because it's a little creepy."

The older lawyer agreed, but wasn't going to tell him that, "The point I was trying to make still stands."

"Harvey, Jessica is already upset with us over the fact that I'm not a real lawyer and you knowingly lied to her about that. I'm not quite sure I should be calling her in over something so small," he reasoned.

Harvey tossed the pen he had been toying with on his desk, "Mike, wars are won because of small battles along the way. Jessica and Hardman will probably have one big showdown and when they do, things like this matter. Find her loophole and then give it to me. I'll handle it."

"Okay."

Harvey reopened the file he'd been looking over. After a few minutes, he looked up to find Mike still seated in front of him, "You're still here?"

"Yeah. Right." Mike scrambled to pick up the contract Alannah had given him as well as the files he'd brought into Harvey's office, "Back to work."

Harvey didn't respond as the younger man exited his office.

* * *

"You needed to speak to me about something?" Donna asked Rachel as she entered the Pearson Hardman file room.

"Not that I'm aware of," confusion settled on Rachel's face as she answered.

"Harold said that you had something to talk to me about and that he'd volunteered to pass along your message." Donna explained.

"Donna, I'm always glad to see you, but I didn't tell Harold to get you down here." Rachel replied.

"But I did," Alannah interjected as she moved from her spot behind a wall of files.

"Figures," Donna huffed.

"Hello, Rachel." She held out her hand as she spoke, "Sorry I haven't stopped by to properly reintroduce myself, but I've been busy."

The paralegal shook her hand, "That's quite alright. Especially since we didn't know each other very well before you left."

Alannah turned to the other woman in the room, "Donna, I need your help and I couldn't ask you at your desk because Harvey is probably ticked off that I've got Mike looking through a contract for me."

"Actually, he's not."

"He isn't?" Lanna asked in disbelief.

"No, he's ticked off that you threatened to call in Hardman to talk to Mike if he didn't look over it." Donna countered with a glare.

"You what?" Rachel interjected.

Alannah laughed, "So, the water cooler gossips were right. You and Mike have a thing."

Rachel shook her head, "We don't have a thing."

"But you want to," Alannah stated as she leaned against the wall.

The paralegal shrugged in an attempt to appear nonchalant,"We once had a thing and now we don't."

"Oh, denial. I remember swimming in that river," the lawyer smiled, "Just because you've said it's over doesn't mean it actually is."

"You needed to talk to Donna, remember," she changed the subject.

The slightly older woman turned her attention back to Donna, "I need your help."

"Tons of people in this firm need my help," she stated with a flip of her hair, "What makes you think you should jump to the front of the line?"

Alannah crossed her arms, "It involves shopping."

"Okay, tell me more," Donna replied.

"Daniel has to go watch Sarah's play Friday so he's sending me to Pearson Hardman's fundraiser on his behalf," she explained.

"And you need me to help you pick out a dress," Donna said as she rubbed her hands together in excitement.

Alannah nodded, "And shoes and jewelry. You know I have trouble with these sort of things."

Donna looked at Rachel, "Last time I helped her, you should have seen the dresses she wanted to try on. It was hilarious." The red head laughed, "There was this one that made her look like a giant peppermint. I almost let her buy one but we were..."

Rachel waited for her to finish her sentence. When she didn't, she asked, "You were what?"

Alannah and Donna shared a look before the lawyer spoke, "We were trying to get Harvey to finally make a move on me after months and months of dancing around each other."

"You and Harvey?"

"Me and Harvey," she confirmed, "By the time you got hired to the firm, our relationship was deteriorating. As hard as it is to believe, once upon a time, we were you and Mike. Only without those tragic skinny ties."

"I like his ties," Rachel defended.

"Considering the glasses you're wearing right now, I'm not surprised." Alannah quipped.

Donna giggled and spoke before Rachel could respond, "Come on, Rachel. Let's take the rest of the day off and help her find a dress. Once you see the sort of stuff she likes, you'll have plenty of stuff to make fun of her for."

"We can't just take the rest of the day off," she argued.

Alannah pushed off from the wall, "Donna can because she's Donna and Harvey doesn't question her. I can because I'm Daniel's closest friend. Between the two of us, we've got you covered if anyone says anything. Plus, I'll buy you both something nice."

Rachel sighed, "Okay. Let's go."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it has taken me so long to update. My computer stopped working and then I got super busy with school and work. I've gotten a new computer and my school load has gotten lighter so my updates won't take as long. ****I hope you guys are still interested in this story. **

**As always, I only own the characters you don't recognize. Enjoy!  
**

* * *

After a long afternoon of shopping that consisted of Donna and Rachel disagreeing with basically everything that she had wanted to buy, Alannah was looking forward to a quite evening with the newest book she had purchased. She was just starting chapter two when she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

She opened the door and was surprised to see who was on the other side, "Monica actually let you up here?"

"No," Harvey shook his head and grinned,"but you two still hide the key underneath the bar. I swiped it when she wasn't looking."

"Breaking and entering? Nice." Alannah turned and walked further into the apartment as Harvey closed the door behind him and followed.

"Is it really breaking and entering if I have a key?" he countered.

"Somehow, I don't think that argument would hold up in court," the slightly younger woman shot back as she sat at one of the kitchen bar-stools.

He shrugged, "I'd find a way to make it stick."

"Of course you would," she replied, trying to hide a grin, but failing. When Harvey tossed the contract she had given to Mike in front of her, she asked, "Why am I not surprised that you're the one bringing this back to me?"

Harvey leaned across the kitchen island, "I told you to stay away from him."

"And I have, but I'll tell you what I told him: the associates do good work. I needed great work," she explained unapologetically, "He find me a loophole?"

"Page 285 and a different one on 304." Harvey answered.

She nodded, "I'll go back to pretending he doesn't exist."

"Good," Harvey stated as he straightened and started towards the door.

"Daniel no longer plans to call for a vote." Alannah called after him.

Harvey turned around, "Why?"

The dark haired woman leaned on the island, "Because apparently you've been closing difficult clients for other floors to swing them to Jessica's side."

The older lawyer couldn't help but smirk, "What can I say? I'm a team player."

She shook her head and sighed in frustration, "You could have used a little bit more discretion. You could have made him think he was winning and then have him lose when he called for a vote."

"It would have taken longer. After he lost, he would have just jumped to plan b. This way, he's already on that plan and that's one step closer to getting him out of here." Harvey argued.

"Well, don't you just have it all figured out. You and Jessica don't need me after all." Alannah shot back.

Harvey walked back towards her, "I never said we did. You're the one trying to worm your way back into Jessica's good graces."

"I could understand and accept your anger if it was just about me standing beside a criminal, but you and I both know that's not the case." She pushed back from the counter and walk around to where the lawyer stood, "You're not just punishing me for betraying the firm. I'm not your mother and I'm done atoning for her sins."

"That's not what this is about," Harvey seethed.

Alannah knew she was pushing his buttons. She knew that his mother was a topic that was never addressed, but she was tired of pretending that Harvey's past had no baring on their present, "But it is. The moment you found out about me and Daniel is when our friendship started falling apart. We weren't on good terms when you came to me about his embezzlement. Don't try to pretend otherwise."

"He was married, Alannah," the older man said as if it explained everything.

"Yes, he was and Alicia was as lovely and devoted to him as your father was to your mother." Alannah expanded.

His tone cut Lanna to her core as he stated, "You don't deserve to speak about him."

The younger lawyer took a step back and turned away from him before saying, "I loved him, Harvey."

A bitter laugh passed through Harvey's lips, "So much so that you didn't even bother to come to his funeral."

"You didn't want me there," she defended, "You may not have told me that, but we both know it's true. He was _your_ father. It didn't matter whether I wanted to be there or not. It was about what you wanted and I was trying to respect your wishes."

"Fine. I'll give you that, but we worked in the same office. I know we weren't on good terms, but you could have asked how I was. You could have made some sort of effort."

"You honestly believe that I didn't give a shit about you and how you were dealing?" A moment of silence passed between them and Alannah pushed back tears, "You do. You know what? Why don't you sit down and ask Donna just exactly how much I cared about your well being?"

"Why don't you tell me?" he asked.

"Because you wouldn't believe a word out of my mouth," she paused, waiting on him to try and disagree, "Donna, on the other hand, is someone you always have and probably always will trust more than anyone in this world."

"That's because she's proven that she can be trusted."

"And I haven't. I get it." Alannah walked over to the door and opened it, "Change the record, Harvey. I'm really sick of hearing this damn song."

Harvey headed towards the open door, but leaned in the door frame instead of leaving, "I'm sorry that I can't seem to move past the fact that you had no issue sleeping with a married man. Especially when you had a man who was available right in front of you."

Alannah laughed, "Don't kid yourself, Harvey. You were about as open as Fort Knox."

"I made it clear to you how I felt," he defended.

"How many times during our friendship did you tell me that not having emotions was the best way to win? From the moment Daniel had you helping me at my mock trial, you drilled into me that emotions were something to use against the other guy. Don't play the odds. Play the man, remember?" She scoffed, "Was I supposed to think that suddenly you decided that I was worth being vulnerable? You want to know why I chose Daniel over you? Because he didn't constantly make me feel like a deal to be closed."

Harvey stood up, prepared to argue that point, "I never tr-"

"You did," Alannah interjected, "You may not have meant to, but you did. Look, with age comes wisdom and looking back, I realize that it wasn't on purpose. You have your ways of winning and it works so why deviate from that, right? But it all felt too calculated. It just never felt genuine."

A moment of silence passed between them before Harvey softly said, "It was."

Alannah sighed, "I know that now, but I was too insecure and young back then to see it for what it was. I understand now that it's just how you are. I've got no excuse for helping Daniel break his vows. All I can say is that he made it seem like we'd both fallen for people who were bad for us. It started out as my mentor being able to relate to me on another level and became more. I thought we were an escape from both of lousy situations and, eventually, it became love. At least it did for me. Daniel only loves himself."

"I'm surprised that it took you to long to figure that out."

"He can be a good actor when he wants to be." Alannah placed a hand on Harvey's arm, "Look, you and I want the same thing here, Harvey. Jessica is good for the firm. She deserves to keep running it. I want to help make that happen but it'd be a lot easier if you weren't questioning my motives at every single turn. Can we call a truce?"

"What's his plan b?" Harvey inquired?

"He's looking over your old cases. You have a reputation for operating in the grey. He's hoping somewhere, you've crossed the line and he wants to use that to take you out of the game. He figures if he can get you out of the picture then Jessica has to do her own dirty work." Lanna answered without missing a beat.

"He thinks she's not capable of getting her hands dirty?" Harvey couldn't believe how much this man underestimated Jessica.

Alannah nodded, "He thinks he taught her everything she knows so she's not a real threat. You, on the other hand, are a very real threat."

"What do you think of his plan?"

"I told him it was a great idea because you do whatever it takes to win no matter what." She grinned, "What I actually think is that it's a waste of his time. You operate in the grey, but you've got integrity. You would never knowingly go too far and you try to surround yourself with people who do the same. Jessica has a moral code. Donna does too and I don't know Mike very well, but he has to have a sense of integrity if you've got him working with you. You bend laws and rules, but you don't break them. You're better than that."

Harvey gave her a genuine smile for the first time in years, "You seem to think rather highly of me. Other people don't."

"That's because they don't know you." She spoke softly when she said her next statement, "I've seen who you are behind closed doors."

"And yet you ended up with Daniel." Harvey couldn't resist the urge to throw that statement out there in an effort to put more space between them.

"Is that what it's always going to boil down to with us?" Alannah looked him the eyes, "That I didn't choose you then so I'm undeserving of your friendship now? Don't think I didn't notice you skipping over me asking for a truce."

Harvey reached out to tuck some of the hair that had escaped the younger woman's ponytail behind her hear as he asked, "How do I trust you again after everything that you've done?"

Alannah closed her eyes as she let herself cherish Harvey's small gesture of warmth. After a small moment, she opened her eyes and answered him, "I don't know, but you always manage to find a solution. If it really want to trust me again, you'll find away to do it."

Harvey started to tell her that it wasn't that simple, but she closed the door on him before he had the chance to speak.

* * *

Harvey arrived at his office early the next morning. As he walked past Donna's desk, he motioned for her to follow him.

He sat at his desk, but the red head stayed near the door, "I need to ask you a question."

"Whatever it is, Mike did it." Donna immediately replied.

Harvey wasn't in the mood for their normal banter, "Five years ago, when my father died, did Alannah keep tabs on how I was doing through you?"

The smile fell of his secretary's face. She sat down in the chair across from his desk, "My answer to that depends on a question of my own."

"What?"

Donna asked, "Do you want to forgive her or continue hating her?"

Harvey paused for a moment before answering, "Which answer gives me the truth?"

"Both." Donna answered and then explained, "One just gives you more truth than the other."

"I want to know everything."

The red head took a deep breath before she began to tell him the information he wanted to know, "She asked me about you every day and the reason she wasn't at your father's funeral is because she spent the entire day keeping your mother away because she wanted you and your brother to be able to properly say goodbye without your mother trying to make it all about her."

The lawyer took a moment to digest this information, "Is that all?"

"No," she answered.

"What else?"

"For the past four years, she's visited your father's grave every year. You go on the anniversary and she goes about three days afterwards," she supplied.

Harvey couldn't mask the surprise on his face, "How long have you known about that?"

"She called around the first anniversary to find out when you planned to go so she wouldn't run into you. She knows you're going to go the same time every year, but she calls just to make sure." Donna explained.

He slowly nodded, "That'll be all, Donna."

The secretary, however, wasn't finished, "She never stopped caring even when you shut her out after finding out about her affair with Daniel. Even when you completely kicked her out of your life after she sided with Daniel. I know she screwed up and made mistakes. Big mistakes, but I really think she's learned from them. Some people deserve second chances, Harvey."

"And some people just use second chances to screw you over again," he shot back.

"True," Donna conceded, "but I honestly believe she's worth trusting."

"Why?" Harvey asked.

"She seems different in a way I can't quite put my finger on. I've been watching her interactions with Daniel. She used to look at him like he was a super hero. The gratitude and adoration she had for him since he's the one who put her on track to be a lawyer was always present in her interactions with him. Now, there's a wall there that didn't exist before. Daniel doesn't see it because he's too full of himself, but anyone who's looking for it can see it. It might not mean much to you, but it's enough for me to believe that she wants him gone," she answered. When he didn't respond, she got up and started to exit the office. She paused right before she opened the door, "Harvey."

"Yes?" he asked and she turned around.

"She made you happy once upon a time. If you feel she doesn't deserve a second chance, then how about forgiving her and giving yourself one?" Donna inquired before exiting his office without giving him an opportunity to respond.


	11. Chapter 11

**As always, I only own the people you guys don't recognize.**

* * *

James, the jazz club owner, heard the door to his establishment open and spoke without seeing who had entered, "Sorry, we're closed."

Alannah held back a laugh, "And to think, you used to tell me that when you got your own place, you'd always have open doors for me."

"Lanna!" the blonde exclaimed as he looked up from his position behind the bar.

The lawyer walked towards the bar, "Hey James."

"Sit. Sit," he commanded.

She placed her purse beside her chair as she sat. She looked around the club for a moment before speaking, "This place is gorgeous."

This earned her a smile, "That's what happens when you have a genius lawyer invest in you."

"Well, Monica wouldn't let me invest in her place so why not yours?" she responded with a shrug.

"True," he agreed, "but most people wouldn't have let me buy them out so easily."

"I couldn't let you lose this place." She looked around again as she added, "It was perfect for what you wanted to build."

He gave her a knowing look, "If it makes you feel better to believe that's the only reason you invested in me."Alannah didn't respond to his statement and he filled a mug with Guinness before sitting it in front of her.

She took a sip, "You carry Guinness on tap?"

He shrugged, "This place wouldn't be possible without one amazing Irish American. It seemed fitting."

Lanna took a few more sips and sighed, "I don't know if Harvey and Jessica are going to win this war."

"Clearly, time apart has made you forget how resourceful Harvey can be," he argued.

"Clearly, time has made you forget that I know both men quite well and I know how devious both of them can be," she shot back. "Harvey has integrity. Daniel doesn't. Harvey has royally ticked him off by closing clients for different departments to swing votes. Now, yes, I gave him the list of people he needed to persuade to vote for Jessica, but he could have been more discreet about it."

James stared at her for a moment before asking, "Why are you here?"

"Monica isn't Harvey's biggest fan. Hell, half the time, she's not my biggest fan either. Not when it comes to Harvey, Daniel and Pearson Hardman. Harvey?" She shook her head, "Well, I'm not convinced he hates me but he can't seem to forgive me and Donna tells Harvey everything so I can't talk to her. Rachel—she's a paralegal—is quasi-dating his associate so that's a no go."

"That's all fine and dandy, Lanna," James leaned across the bar, "but that doesn't answer my question. Why are you here?"

"Because, even if it's just for a few hours, I would like for the past to truly be in the past." Alannah took off her jacket and leaned in closer to her friend, "You're the only person I know who won't throw it in my face. The only person who treats me the same as you always have."

"How can I considering the stuff I've done myself? I'm a lot of things, but a hypocrite isn't one of them," he replied as he poured himself a glass of scotch.

"We're quite the pair, James Specter."

"That we are," he agreed before taking a sip out of the glass, "He still wants to be with you, you know."

She didn't bother pretending not to know who he was talking about, "No, I don't know."

"In his closet, my brother has a box hidden on a top shelf. Donna and I pretend that we don't know it's there, but we do." The blonde crossed his arms, "There are two things in it: the letter you wrote to him to thank him after he helped you win your mock trial and the picture of you two from Monica's brother's wedding."

She laughed as she remembered the picture he was referring to, "He hates that picture."

"Of course he does. He looks hideous in it," he said with a laugh, "but you two seemed to have a ton of good memories on that trip."

"Yeah, we did," she confirmed as she ran a finger around the rim of her mu.

"And then you came home and started an affair with Daniel."

Her finger stopped moving, "So much for not throwing my past in my face, James."

"Don't even," James shook his head, "Other people throw it in your face as judgment. I'm not here to judge you. You know that." He grabbed her hand, "But, Lanna, it makes no sense. Anyone who saw you two together knew that there was a connection there. Look, I know why I made the choices I made and you and I have talked enough that you know why I made the choices I made. I just want to understand it."

"Fine." Alannah sighed, "Maybe it's time I shared it with someone. This doesn't leave here. Not even Monica knows."

"You're seriously going to tell me something Monica doesn't know and I can't hold that over her head?" James threw his hands up in mock exaggeration, "I can't believe you aren't going to let me have bragging rights."

"How about this? If ever I decide to tell her to tell her, I'll let you know so you can gloat about finding out first," she conceded with a laugh.

"Deal." He downed his scotch, "Now, spill it."

"We went to the wedding and it was wonderful. Afterwards, he kissed me. Did he tell you that? I'd wondered off from where they were holding the reception with a bottle of wine. It was warm and the stars were shining. There's nothing like an Irish summer. He followed me. And there we were, alone, and he looked utterly dashing. We talked and drank and, I don't know if it was the wine or Irish air, but he kissed me. I kissed him back. I truly believed it was the beginning of us being together. Finally, after dancing around the issues for months." Alannah couldn't stop the smile from growing on her face as she remembered how wonderful that night had been.

"What changed?"

"After the wedding, we didn't come straight back to America."

"Yeah, Harvey said something about Daniel wanting you two to go check in with the European branch of Pearson Hardman," James said as he leaned on the bar.

She nodded, "It's a short plane ride to London from Dublin. Hop, skip, and a jump, really. While there, Harvey ran into a woman that he went to law school with. From the look on your face, I can tell you already know who I'm talking about."

"Scotty."

"Scotty," she confirmed before continuing, "We were supposed to get lunch, but I was tired and wanted to take a nap. I told him to go without me and I'd call him when I woke up so we could get dinner, depending on how long I slept. He didn't answer his phone after I called three times. I just figured he was asleep. I had a spare key to his room."

"And?" he asked after a few beats had passed and she didn't resume her story.

She blinked back a few tears, "He had one to mine too. I always knocked, but he didn't. They were in his bedroom, arguing. She was livid that we had run into her at this little café down the street from our hotel. Apparently, it was _their _café and who was he to bring his latest conquest to it. After he told her that what we had didn't compare to what they had, I let myself out. I kept my distance for the remainder of the trip and completely backed off of when we got back."

"He doesn't know this, does he?" James asked, even though he already knew the answer. When she shook her head, he sighed, "Lanna, you know how he felt about you. He and Scotty have history, but you know he couldn't possibly have meant that."

"Have you ever seen them together, James?" she questioned.

"I have."

She wiped her eyes, "He looked at her differently than any girl I'd ever seen him with. That scared me. Up until then, I was secure in the fact that when he was finally ready to give it a real shot, I didn't have to worry about him cheating. Not only because of how much he abhors your mother and what she did to your father, but because I actually meant something to him. It scared me to know that I actually had competition."

The jazz club owner squeezed her hand, "Scotty may be a lot of things, but your competition never was and never could be one of them."

She returned his squeeze, "I get that now. Funnily enough, it's because of Daniel."

James asked, "How so?"

"I loved Daniel. As much as everyone in my life may hate that fact, it doesn't change it. But even when I was so deep in love with Daniel, there was always a part of me that couldn't shake Harvey. No matter how much I wanted to." She ran a hand through her hair, "He's my Scotty. I never would have left Daniel for him, but there was always something there between us. Even now, there's something there between us."

"You're wrong, Alannah." He looked her in the eye, "The push and pull Harvey has with Scotty doesn't come close to what you two could have had, but I think we'll have to agree to disagree on that. What are you going to do about it?"

"Well, if I knew that James Specter, would I be here shooting the shit with you?" she shot back with a laugh.

All the young man could do was laugh and refill both their glasses.

* * *

Mike flipped through the contract that Harvey had given him to go over the previous night, "The wording on page sixty-eight needs clarification. If not, they could use that to their advantage to steal Shuman's company."

"Okay." Harvey replied.

"And then, they got really creative on page one fifty-two. It's like they thought we would get tired of reading by then. Section three has got to be cut out," the young associate asserted.

"Okay."

At this, Mike looked up to see that Harvey's chair was turned facing the window instead of him. The older man looked lost in thought and he decided to see if his mentor was paying attention to him, "And then, on page one ninety-five, they found the secret formula to feed pigs to make them fly."

"Sounds great," the senior partner replied.

Mike tossed the contract on the table, "Okay, Harvey, what gives?"

"What?" he asked as he turned his chair around.

"You're not paying attention to me."

Harvey shot him a glare, "Feeling neglected, Mikey?"

"One, not funny. Two, never call me Mikey ever again." The younger man stood, "Seriously, you haven't heard a word I've said about the Shuman case. What's going on? Is it Alannah?" Harvey tensed up for a brief moment. If Mike hadn't been looking for it, he would have missed it, "It's Alannah. You know, Rachel thinks she seems like a good person."

"Right, because we should trust her judgment? After all, she thinks you went to Harvard." Harvey quipped.

"Low blow." Mike stuck his hands in his pocket, "Look, Harvey, the only person keeping you from trusting her again is you. You said it yourself, Jessica is willing to give her a second chance and, so far, she hasn't done anything to screw you guys over. Have you heard her talk about Hardman? She seems to loathe him far more than you and Jessica do."

Harvey tilted his head, "When have you heard her talk about Hardman?"

"What? I didn't say that _I _had heard her," Mike tried to deny it, but quickly caved once taking in the look on Harvey's face, "Okay. She stopped by Rachel's to get some shoes to match the dress she bought for that charity ball the firm is throwing. While she was there, Hardman called her and basically demanded she go do something for him even though she had other plans. She started ranting about how he was a horribly selfish person and that she couldn't wait until she never had to hear from him again. I'm not saying don't be cautious, Harvey. I'm just saying that cutting her a little more slack than you have been might be beneficial to both of you."

"Now that you've given me your unsolicited advice about a subject that is none of your business, can we get back to this contract?" He waited until Mike sat down before continuing, "What section did you say needed to be cut again?"

Before he could answer, Donna chimed in, "Harvey, your brother is on line one."

"Tell him I'm busy."

"Too late. I told him that you weren't busy and were available to talk to him. Mike, go be elsewhere. Harvey, pick up the phone." Donna shot back.

Harvey nodded to Mike and he exited the office. He took a deep breath before picking up the phone, "James."

"Harvey, you and I need to talk." James replied.

"About?"

"Alannah."

He groaned, "Not you, too."

"Yes, me too." James shot back in the exact same tone Harvey had taken with him. "However, I'm going to be more helpful than everyone else. You want to know why Alannah chose Daniel over you all those years ago? I've got the answer. Come down here. I'll tell you over a drink."

Harvey didn't skip a beat as he replied, "I'm on my way."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and story alerts. I really appreciate it and I love knowing what you guys are thinking of the story. **

**As always, I only own the characters you don't recognize.**

* * *

Monica turned at the sound of the front door opening, "You have a lot of nerve walking in here, Specter. You're lucky I didn't have the police called on you for swiping my key last time. You won't find it in the same place."

Harvey greeted her with a smile, "Monica, it's been a long time."

The red head crossed her arms, "Get out."

"Monica, I j-"

"_Get out,_" she growled.

"I need to talk to Alannah," he explained.

"Why?" She advanced towards his spot beside the door, "So you can tear her down some more? So you can pass more judgment on her without listening to anything she has to say? No, Specter, you may think you own New York, but you do not own this pub. _Leave."_

Harvey shook his head, "You do realize that she and I work at the same firm. If I don't see her now, I'll just see her at work."

"Then that's what you'll have to do," Monica shot back.

"You would prefer I pass my judgments and dole out pain to your best friend in a public forum instead of in private where you can immediately pick up the pieces?" Harvey smirked when he saw her flinch, "I didn't think so."

She turned and walked away from him, "I hated that stupid smirk back then and I certainly can't stand it now."

"We used to be friends, Monica," he gently reminded her.

"No, you used to be the guy I was nice to because my best friend turned to jello at the mere mention of his name so you can stop trying to charm me." The red head stood beside the door that led to the loft she shared with Alannah, "I'm going to let you go upstairs on one condition."

"What?"

"If she tells you to leave at any point, you leave. You don't stay. You don't utter a parting shot on your way out the door. You nod your head and you go," the pub owner explained.

"Okay."

"I mean it, Harvey." Monica's tone softened, "I had to pick up the pieces after you kicked her out of your apartment all those years ago. I told her she was a fool to go back to Pearson Hardman, but she's convinced she needs to right her wrongs. I don't plan on seeing her end up like that again."

The lawyer joined her by the door and looked her straight in the eye, "You may not believe me, but I don't either."

She met his gaze straight on, "I'll hold you to that."

As she unlocked the door, Harvey replied, "I'm sure that you will."

* * *

Alannah put down the file she was reading to answer the knock on her door. Upon seeing Harvey, she said, "Monica moved the key. How did you find it?"

Harvey moved past her and walked into the loft, "I didn't. She let me up."

The other lawyer closed the door. She made her way to the living room and he followed. Both of them sat on the couch and she asked, "What exactly did you blackmail her with to get her to let you up here?"

"Nothing." Harvey shrugged, "We had a heart to heart and she let me in."

"Heart to heart?" Lanna shook her head and laughed, "More like she threatened you and is hoping you screw up so she can finally kick your ass."

He nodded, "I don't blame her."

She was a little taken aback by his statement, "What?"

"You're like a sister to her. It doesn't matter how wrong you are, she'll still defend you to the death," he clarified.

She bit her lip as she inquired, "What do you want?"

"I visited my brother today," he answered.

"That's good. I'm glad your relationship with him is improving."

"Me too." He turned to face her, "You visited him today too."

Alannah sighed, "If I continue to pretend that I don't know where this is going, can we not do this?"

Harvey ignored her question, "You didn't hear what you thought you heard."

Alannah squared her shoulders and got ready to defend herself, "Really, Harvey? Let's not try to rewrite history. I heard her yelling at you for taking me to that café. Your response was and I quote, 'Fine. I was wrong. I shouldn't have taken my latest conquest to our place. I guess a part of me was hoping that you would be there and be jealous because that's just another way for me to win.' When she interrupted you, I left. I know it's a little pathetic that I remember the exact words you used after all these years." She could feel tears building in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She hated how her voice broke a little when she asked, "How could you say that about me? Maybe you didn't feel the way I did, but I at least thought you were my friend, Harvey. Ho-"

He cut her off, "If you would have stayed, you would have heard me cut her off to tell her that I could say those things, but that I couldn't mean them. You would have heard me say that I hadn't called her about me being in London because I wouldn't risk hurting you in any way. I chose you, Alannah. I chose you."

"No." She vehemently denied his statement, "No. You're just saying that. You're making it up."

Harvey took her hand in his, "I've said and done a lot of things to you, but you know I'm not a liar. I'll call Scotty right now and have her confirm it. She took great pleasure in rubbing it in my face that I chose you and t-"

"And then I came home and chose Daniel," she finished.

Silence settled over the room as Harvey let Alannah take in everything he had just said. He wiped away one of her tears that managed to escape before asking, "What were you going to say that night?"

Confusion clouded her face, "What night?"

"The night that I kicked you out of my apartment," he answered.

"In order for me to explain it, I need you to promise me something."

He asked, "What?"

"Let me finish without any interruption," she answered.

"Okay."

"Promise me," she demanded.

"I promise."

She pulled her hand out of his and stood. She wandered over to the window and looked out of it as she spoke, "Months before you and Jessica found out about his embezzlement, I found out." She didn't have to look at Harvey to know he started to speak, "Remember, you promised. I confronted him and he gave me the same story he gave you and Jessica about Alicia spending Sarah's college fund and how he was just trying to put the money back. He promised me that he would put the money back and I believed him. It wasn't until you came to me that I realized that he hadn't."

When she didn't continue, he asked, "Then why didn't you stand beside us like you said you would?"

She ran a hand through her hair, "Because he blackmailed me. He figured out that Jessica had found out and that I had helped. To this day, I don't know how. He had put several properties that he had purchased with stolen money in my name and had listed me on several joint accounts. There was no way to turn him in without incriminating myself."

At this, Harvey stood and joined her beside the window, "Why didn't you tell me? We could have found a way to get around that."

She shook her head, "I tried."

"Before we met with him—not after."

"You remember how I called you that day and told you that I had to come to terms with what I was about to do and I would just meet you guys there?" she asked.

He nodded, "Yes."

"He made me and he wouldn't let me out of his sights until we strolled into that meeting," she explained.

Harvey loosened his tie, "Lanna, I w-"

She interrupted him, "Say that again?"

"What?"

She started to tear up again, "Lanna. Say it again."

"Lanna."

"Again," she demanded.

"Lanna, come here," he told her as he pulled her into a hug. He rested his chin on the top of her head and gently swayed back and forth, "I wish you would have told me that you heard me and Scotty."

"If the situation were reversed, would you have talked to me about it," was her muffled response.

Harvey answered, "No."

"Exactly."

A few more minutes passed before she pulled away from him and he asked, "What are we going to do now?"

She laughed, "The great Harvey Specter asking me for advice?"

He shot her a mock glare, "Don't get used to it."

Alannah couldn't help smiling at display of the banter they used to have, "I have a plan to take down Daniel. I didn't want to bring it up until you fully trusted me because it requires that we work together."

Harvey shook his head, "I wasn't talking about Daniel. We'll get him out of the firm. The how isn't important right now. I was talking about me and you."

The other lawyer looked at the floor as she answered, "It doesn't change anything."

He softly took her chin in his hand and got her to look at him, "You honestly believe that?"

She removed his hand from her face before answering, "I still had an affair with a married man, Harvey. The why doesn't really matter. I know you. You can't get past that."

As she started to walk away from him, he questioned, "What if I wanted to try to get past it?"

She slowly turned around, "How exactly does that work?"

"How about we try being friends again? We were pretty good at that."

"Yeah. We were," she agreed.

"So what do you say?" he asked.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Once she opened her eyes, she looked him straight in the eye, "No."

Harvey blinked, "Excuse me?"

"Last time, you and I danced around each other for months and it ended in disaster. I'm not doing that again." She sat back down on the couch, "I want to be with you. I want to get it right this time. There's still something here between us. I know it. You know it. Anyone who spends five minutes in a room with us knows it. If you and I are going to work on you trusting me and letting me back in, it's going to be so we can be together. I can't accept anything less."

"And if I don't agree to that?" he asked as he put his hands in his pocket.

Alannah's gaze found the floor again, "Then I'll have to accept that, but I'll still help you and Jessica get rid of Hardman like I said I would."

"Donna told me that I should give you a second chance for my own sake."

She smiled, "Donna is a wise woman."

"Yes, she is, but don't tell her that. Her ego is already big enough," he quipped.

"It has to be to be able to deal with having you as her boss," she said without missing a beat. After they had finished laughing, she got serious again and quoted his own question back to him, "So what do you say?"

He walked over to where she sat on the couch and joined her. He took both of her hands in his before answering, "I say do you have a date to the charity ball tomorrow night?"


End file.
